Terry Jo Duperrault was just 11 when she was found drifting alone in the Caribbean Sea
In November 1961, a shocking discovery was made in the Caribbean Sea. Terry Jo Duperrault, an 11-year-old girl, was found drifting alone, sunburned, dehydrated and barely conscious, clinging to a small cork raft.
She was the sole survivor of a horrifying massacre that had wiped out her entire family.
The Duperraults were a well-respected family hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Arthur, a successful optometrist, had spent years saving for what he referred to as a “once-in-a-lifetime holiday” – a sailing trip through the Bahamas to escape another harsh winter up north.
Arthur, along with his wife Jean, their children Brian, 14, Terry Jo, 11, and little René, seven, had planned a week of sunshine, snorkelling and quality family time aboard a chartered yacht named Bluebelle.
The vessel, a 60-foot twin-masted ketch, was under the command of 44-year-old Julian Harvey, a decorated World War II veteran and seasoned sailor. Accompanying him was his sixth wife, Mary Dene, a former air hostess and budding writer, reports the Express.
The setup seemed perfect, with Harvey’s knowledge of the waters and the Duperraults’ eagerness to unwind. From Fort Lauderdale, Bluebelle sailed to the islands of Bimini and Sandy Point, where the family gathered seashells and keepsakes.
Locals remembered them as jovial and kind-hearted, and Arthur even told a British district commissioner that this had been “a once-in-a-lifetime holiday,” adding, “we’ll be back before Christmas.”
On the fateful night of 12 November 1961, as the boat set sail for Florida, the family enjoyed a meal together. After dinner, young Terry Jo retired to her cabin below deck while the rest of the family stayed above.
She was later jolted awake by the sound of her brother’s screams and heavy footsteps overhead.
Venturing upstairs, she was met with a horrifying sight – her mother and brother lay lifeless on the floor, surrounded by pools of blood. Suddenly, Julian Harvey appeared, forcefully ordering her back downstairs with a shout of “Get back down there!” Frightened, she complied just as water began to flood the boat.
Harvey reappeared, this time brandishing a rifle. They locked eyes in silence before he turned and ascended the stairs.
Shortly after, Terry Jo heard what sounded like hammering – the chilling sound of Harvey intentionally scuttling his own ship.
Realising her impending doom if she remained, the young girl made her way upstairs, noticing Harvey’s absence. The yacht was already sinking, and Harvey had escaped on a dinghy, leaving her behind.
Spotting a small cork float tied to the railing, she untied it, tossed it overboard, and floated away just as the Bluebelle disappeared beneath the waves. For the next 82 hours, Terry Jo drifted alone on the vast expanse of the open sea.
The cork raft measured only five feet in length, just large enough for her to sit upright, and she possessed no food, no water, and no shelter. The scorching tropical sun burnt her skin, salt stung her wounds, and sharks circled below.
Multiple aircraft and vessels passed nearby, but none spotted the minuscule white raft against the water’s glare.
She later remembered seeing fish gnawing at her feet and experiencing hallucinations where she glimpsed the lights of an airport runway, with her parents awaiting her at the end. She leapt – and awoke in the ocean, gripping the raft.
“Fortunately, I hadn’t let go,” she said years later. “I scrambled back in.”
Then, finally, rescue arrived. A Greek cargo vessel, the Captain Theo, noticed what appeared to be a cap floating on the water.
When they examined it more closely through binoculars, they discovered it was a small raft carrying a young blonde girl, feebly waving.
Second officer Nicolaos Spachidakis commanded a lifeboat to be lowered, and crewman Evangelos Kantzilas hauled the child aboard. Terry Jo managed to whisper her name before losing consciousness.
Whilst doctors in Miami battled to save her, another survivor of the Bluebelle had already captured headlines. Julian Harvey had been rescued three days earlier, insisting the yacht had been hit by a sudden storm that broke its masts and ignited a fire.
He claimed he’d been hurled into the sea – alone apart from the body of little René, whom he’d attempted to revive in vain. Officials initially believed his account, but when reports emerged that an 11-year-old had survived, his story started to fall apart.
Harvey was in Miami facing interrogation when he discovered that Terry Jo was alive and making a recovery.
Just hours afterwards, he booked into a motel using a fake identity and took his own life, leaving behind a short message: “I got too tired and nervous. I couldn’t stand it any longer.”
Once Terry Jo had recovered sufficiently to talk, she revealed to detectives what had actually occurred. There hadn’t been any storm or blaze.
The waters had been peaceful. Her family members had been slaughtered, and Harvey had purposely scuttled the vessel.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s probe uncovered a dark past. Harvey, previously hailed as a distinguished aviator, had left behind a series of dubious insurance claims.
Years before, his second spouse and mother-in-law had perished when his vehicle careered off a bridge, yet he had emerged without injury and claimed the insurance money. Multiple boats he owned had also gone down in suspicious situations.
Detectives determined that Harvey had schemed to murder his sixth spouse, Mary Dene, to claim her £20,000 double-indemnity life insurance policy – which would increase twofold if her death looked like an accident. However, when the Duperrault family accidentally witnessed or interfered, Harvey eliminated them as well, making certain no witnesses remained.
Terry Jo, who was dubbed “The Sea Waif” and “The Sea Orphan” by the press, moved in with her aunt and uncle in Wisconsin after recovering from her ordeal. She held onto the clothes she was rescued in.
For years, she shied away from discussing her traumatic experience publicly. It wasn’t until 2010 that she fully shared her story, publishing Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean with psychologist Richard Logan.
“I’ve always believed I was saved for a reason,” she admitted to NBC years later. “If one person heals from a life tragedy after reading my story, my journey will have been worth it.”