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Mystery at sea: Police investigate repairs to boat prior to deadly trip

VERNON, Vt. — A multi-state investigation is now looking into whether the 22-year-old lost at sea with his mother made repairs to his boat that potentially made it unsafe.

BACKGROUND

Nathan Carman and his mother, Linda Carman, of Middletown, Connecticut, left Rhode Island on a fishing trip on Sept. 18. Nathan was rescued in a life raft off the Massachusetts coast on Sunday. His mother remains missing and is presumed dead.

>>TIMELINE: Timeline of mom and son's disappearance at sea

Coast Guard officials interviewed Nathan when he arrived in Boston on Tuesday. He told them he heard a 'funny noise" in his boat's engine compartment, saw water pouring in, then lost sight of his mother before he boarded the raft.

INVESTIGATION INTO BOAT REPAIRS

Police said a boater told them that Nathan Carman took the unusual step of removing the boat's trim tabs, which keep the boat from tipping from side to side. Investigators also said that Nathan's boat needed mechanical repairs, and that Nathan had been performing a portion of them on his own.

Nathan Carman told the Boston Globe he thought the boat was "seaworthy," insisting "I don't know how it could have been prevented."

NATHAN CARMAN 'DOING OK'

Nathan Carman said he feels healthy despite what he called an emotional ordeal.

Nathan said outside his Vernon, Vermont, home that he's been through "a huge amount" emotionally, and he thanked the public for its "concern and prayers."

His father, Clark Carman, flew from California to Connecticut this week to be with his son.

"My son's doing ok," said Clark Carman. "He's not at the point that he wants to speak. When he does, he's going to contact the press. At that point in time, he'll have more to say. Right now he wants his alone time."

MOURNING THE LOSS OF LINDA CARMAN

Charlene Gallagher, Linda Carman's sister, told FOX25 they are heartbroken over what happened.

>>PHOTOS: Nathan Carman & Linda Carman

"We are beyond words over how we lost our sister...We don't have her body. We don't know where the boat sank…It's horrible to lose a loved one in the ocean. I try not to think about how she died," she said.

"None of us really know what he went through," said Clark Carman. "We have to bear with that."

2011 DISAPPEARANCE

Nathan Carman was the subject of a search in 2011 when he went missing after he became distraught over the death of his horse, his parents said at the time. After a widespread search, the then 17-year-old was found in Sussex County, Virginia. Police said he took a bus to Virginia and bought a scooter he had planned to ride to Florida.

"Just knowing Nathan personally...he has Asperger's. We understood his quirkiness," said his aunt.

Asperger Syndrome is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. According to Autism Speaks, Asperger's is generally high functioning and behaviors include robotic speech, lack of eye contact and obsessions with specific of unusual topics.

MYSTERY SURROUNDING GRANDFATHER'S DEATH

It's not the first time tragedy has hit the family. In 2013, Nathan Carman's grandfather, John Chakalos of Windsor, Connecticut, was found dead in his home of a gunshot wound to the head.

"The murder is unsolved. We've been grieving over my sister just five days after his birthday. I want tragedy to stop hitting our family," Gallagher told FOX25.

According to court paperwork, Nathan was a suspect in his grandfather's murder, and an arrest warrant was drawn up, but never signed.

>>RELATED: Vt. man described as 'murder boy' to police investigating grandfather's death

"I wish the press would leave it alone," Clark Carman said. "He was not involved with his grandfather, with his mother, it was a pure accident. He would never do anything like that. He's a good kid."

Chakalos, a wealthy real estate developer, was well known in Windsor for his annual enormous Christmas light display.

Nathan has not been charged with anything. He left his home in Vermont Wednesday morning and has not returned.

The Associated Press contributed to this story