New Delhi, July 25 -- 30 in the afternoon on July 4.

Brian Trascher, vice president of the United Cajun Navy, assisted in the initial search effort and this week warned publicly about the water conditions around Horn Island. The stretch between Horn Island and Ship Island is called the washing machine by locals, Trascher said, "because they've had a lot of drownings in that area and on that island." On July 4, the rip currents were "extremely strong," he said. The water transitions from shallow to deep in just a few steps, a feature that has made the area deadly in the past. "There is a gaping hole in the story that needs to be filled," Trascher said. "I've heard virtually no explanation, no eyewitness accounts."

The established timelin...