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| The body of Desi Deschaine, a communications director for D.C. Council member Jack Evans, was recovered Tuesday morning in Baltimore. (Photo by Craig Max) | |
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By AMY CAVANAUGH, Washington Blade
Jul 14 2009, 9:06 AM |
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UPDATED: Jul 14, 6:21 PM
Desi Deschaine, the communications director for D.C. Council member Jack Evans, died in Baltimore's Inner Harbor area after a weekend boating trip. His body was recovered Tuesday morning.
A source said Deschaine left a private boat owned by his boyfriend, J'aime Huret, after docking Sunday night to take a walk. Deschaine never returned, and authorities believe he fell off a dock into the water. Authorities dredged the section of the marina near the boat Tuesday.
Sgt. Jeffrey Chaney, the Baltimore Police Department's LGBT liaison, said that Deschaine's body was recovered at 8 a.m. Tuesday. He said an autopsy is pending.
Chaney said that Deschaine was last seen at approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday at the Baltimore Marine Center, which is where the boat was docked. He said that based on witness reports, Deschaine had been drinking and when the party exited the boat, he left the group. Chaney said Deschaine was reported missing the next day.
He noted that Deschaine's body was found "not far from where the boat had docked."
"Preliminary investigation found that there were no signs of foul play," Chaney said. "We are currently awaiting the results of the autopsy to make a final determination."
Deschaine, 29, was gay and well known in Democratic and gay activist circles in Washington.
"I'm feeling profound loss," Huret said. "He was a new love of mine, and we had been together about three months. We've traveled together extensively and spent every weekend together.
"We've been on the boat together probably 10 of the last 15 weekends, and Desi's been around boats and the water for 15 years, if not longer."
Huret said there were 10 men and women on the boat, five of whom were gay.
"We spent the day on the Chesapeake, we had dinner and drinks on Kent Island," he said. "We headed back and he wandered off on the dock by himself after we docked and he fell in the water and drowned."
Huret said that he noticed Deschaine was missing at 11 p.m. Sunday.
"Desi and I have a lot of boat friends in the marina, so he could have been on another boat," he said. "When he didn't come back to my boat for me to get him back to his job, I called the police department to have their help to find him."
Huret said he was working with Evans' office on plans for public and private memorials.
Jeff Coudriet, Evans' committee clerk and an old friend of Deschaine, said Tuesday that everyone in Evans' office was "just utterly grief stricken."
"His family came down and Jack spoke to his parents yesterday evening to let them know, and that's when he was missing," Coudriet said. "They drove to D.C. from Connecticut, and got to Baltimore quite late, so they're there."
Coudriet said Deschaine invited him and others to Sunday's boat trip.
"I wasn't able to go, but it was something he and his boyfriend did regularly up there this summer," Coudriet said. "We don't have much more on the details of on the incident itself, other than it does appear to be accidental."
In a statement, Evans described Deschaine as "a bright, bubbly, enthusiastic, and wonderful person who you just could not help but love."
"I had the great pleasure of knowing and working with him not just on my staff, but on my campaigns … and numerous other capacities and roles," Evans said. "He brought his passion, energy and good spirits to everything and everyone he touched over the years. My staff and I share the grief of and extend our condolences to Desi's family and friends, and deeply mourn his untimely loss."
Huret posted a message on Deschaine's Facebook page Tuesday.
"Desi, yours and my friendship was something that does not come along very often," he wrote. "You were a very special person and the adventure to get to know [each] other better was pure joy for both of us, as evident to so many of both of our friends. Other than politics and friends, your second passion in life was fun and sun on the water. I am truly blessed that I had the opportunity with our eight guests to enjoy and incredibly beautiful day on the Chesapeake Bay together. What an extraordinary lasting memory to remember you by."
Deschaine has served as vice president of the Logan Circle Community Association; a national committee representative for the D.C. Young Democrats; and a voting member of the D.C. Democratic State Committee. He also was a member of the D.C. police department's Third District Citizen Advisory Council and a member of the Gertrude Stein Club.
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