Parents Receive Letter From Late Son When Message In A Bottle Resurfaces After Being Dropped In River In 1989

Aug 18, 2022 by apost team

In April 2022, Big River Shipbuilders, a company, in the marine industry, uncovered something unexpected. The workers, never knowing what might emerge from the depths, always watch for something new, exciting and maybe even valuable. 

Billy Mitchell, a salvage diver, was working when he spied a green bottle. Laughing about his tendency to watch for sunken treasure, Mitchell said, "I'm always that way." It was Mitchell's eagle eyes that first spotted the unlikely find. Remembering the fateful morning, Mitchell said: "I always look for stuff that's unique — driftwood or anything ... I told my buddy, I said, 'there's a message in this bottle!'"

Having worked 20 years in the business, Mitchell was delighted to find something so unexpected. Mitchell then attempted to open the sealed bottle, using whatever tools he had on hand — in this case, "shish kebab sticks" — to extract the battered letter inside. 

The paper was well-worn; however, Mitchell and his coworkers were able to decipher some words, scrawled in pencil. They could read 1989, the location of Oxford, Mississippi, a "please", a "thank you" and a wish from the sender to "call or phone." What the men also noticed was the note appeared to be written in a child's handwriting. 

The safety manager at Big River Shipbuilders, Brad Babb was equally as charmed with the letter as Mitchell. Commenting on how the letter sparked their curiosities, Babb said: "We're all kids at heart really. We could all envision ourselves as that 11-year-old boy." Touching on their impulse to find the author, he continued: "It really just fueled us to go and say, 'Let's go find this guy' cause this is kind of a kindred spirit where, 'Would I want somebody to find me? Yes I would.'"

The men began by calling around, but it wasn't until they posted to Facebook that they received any clues. On their profile page, the men had written: "Today our salvage crew found a bottle with the following message inside. Time has not been kind to the letter. We believe this was done by Oxford, MS student with the last name of Tahl back in 1989. We would love to let that person know we found it. Please spread the word and help us find this person."

Commenting on the response, Babb said, "Never thought it would take on the life it's taken, but so glad that it has."

Through Facebook, the men were connected to the family of the boy who had written the note. They then learned that the message in the bottle had been a 1989 sixth-grade class project. Martha Burnett, the class' teacher, remembered the day. She told reporters: "We had a field trip. We dropped our bottles in the water, and for many years we heard nothing." Until 2022 when Big River contacted the Dahl family. 

Unfortunately, the author, Brian Dahl, had died years earlier; however, his parents were able to meet the men and see their son's message. Father Eric Dahl said his son "continues to inspire connections" even years after his passing. Remembering her student, Burnett suggested, "I think it brings him back to life in a way." While their son was unable to see his bottle make it back to shore, his intrepid letter still brought strangers together to share in his memory and the spirit of adventure. 

apost.com

Have you ever left a message in a bottle? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family and any Mississippians!