US Marine vet dies in British Virgin Islands boating accident, leaving young daughter orphaned

A U.S. Marine from North Carolina has died in a boating accident in the British Virgin Islands, according to police – leaving his young daughter an orphan months after her mother lost a battle with cancer.

Robert Owen Safford, 33, was found in the water with a head injury near his dinghy, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force said in a statement.

Safford was an active duty Marine assigned to Marine Forces Special Operations Command, a USMC spokesperson told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

Police said they responded to “a lone boating accident” just before midnight off Great Harbour in Jost Van Dyke on March 22. The victim wasn’t publicly identified as Safford until Tuesday.

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Authorities said they found him unresponsive and attempted to resuscitate him. Their efforts failed, police said.

Safford was “one of the best guys you’ll ever meet,” a friend, Duke Davis, told Fox News Digital Thursday. He said the former Marine sniper was vacationing in the Caribbean at the time of accident.

“She’s small, so she probably doesn’t understand just yet,” he said. “But her future depends on the support she gets from the community. Rob’s parents are fantastic people, and I’m sure that she will grow up in a caring and supportive environment.”

According to a GoFundMe set up by another friend, Safford was recently a widower and single dad. His wife, Rachel, died in September. 

As a result, the accident last week orphaned their daughter, Bella. 

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“Rob was a single father but not by choice,” the organizer, Joey Butrico, wrote. “Rachele, Rob’s wife, and Bella’s mother, lost her battle with cancer in 2022.”

The couple wed in June 2014, according to an online registry.

“We are looking to get as much support as possible to help Bella’s grandparents and family,” Butrico continued. “Raising a child is not easy; hopefully, we can lessen the financial burden through this difficult time.”

The campaign had raised more than $13,000 as of Thursday morning.

Safford had also helped raise a 16-year-old stepson, according to the News and Observer newspaper in his home state.

An investigation into the boating accident remains ongoing, authorities said, and no additional details were available.

Virgin Islands police did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard urges boaters to share a float plan with a relative or friend before heading out on the water and recommends operators take boating safety courses.