True crime fanatics, Netflix has a new documentary for you to sink your teeth into: The Carman Family Deaths. It details the shocking story of Linda Carman and her son Nathan, whose 2016 fishing trip quickly turned into a “modern-day Greek tragedy.”
The doc features interviews with Nathan's father and Linda's ex-husband, Clark Carman, alongside those who worked tirelessly on the investigation—which, to this day, remains pretty murky.
Here, we take a look at what actually happened on that fateful day in Rhode Island. Plus, zoom in on Nathan's dad, who endured the ultimate heartache.
What is The Carman Family Deaths documentary about?
On September 17, 2016, Linda Carman, 54, departed on an overnight fishing trip with her son, Nathan, 22, setting off from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. It was an expedition that the pair had completed many times before, but when they failed to return home, Linda and Nathan's wealthy New England family alerted the United States Coast Guard.
What followed was a 64,000 nautical square miles search, where they eventually found Nathan eight days later, floating on a life raft. Linda's body was never recovered.
In the Netflix teaser, a Coast Guard member who worked on the case said he immediately found the situation suspicious. Considering Nathan had been alone at sea for over a week, he was unusually energetic and managed to easily swim to a rescue ring and climb onto a boat. He showed no signs of dehydration or hyperthermia.
“The ocean buries a lot of secrets,” he said.
After Nathan's rescue, he was interviewed by law enforcement. He told authorities that the boat he and his mother were on started to sink after the floor gave way while he was in the wheelhouse. At the time, Nathan said he had sent Linda outside to bring in the fishing lines. The then 22-year-old alleged that he didn't see or hear his mother after he was submerged in the water.
Nathan—who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome as a child, now among the broader category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—didn't place a distress call, which is used to attract immediate assistance in life-threatening situations.
He told ABC News in 2017, “I got onboard the life raft and was looking around, and I was calling out to my mom. I did not see or hear my mom, and I was blowing the whistle with three loud, short bursts, which is a distress signal.” In a voiceover, the reporter, Linzie Janis, called Nathan's account “fragmented” and full of “black spaces.”
Nathan added, “I assume that if she had been on the surface and conscious that she would have been calling out to me, and I would have been able to find her. But I didn't know why that hadn't happened.”
When the police began investigating further, they found that Nathan had filed an insurance claim for his lost boat. But due to “holes in his story,” the claim was thrown out. Later, a judge learned that Nathan had made faulty repairs to the boat, which sparked questions that he may have been responsible for its sinking and the death of his mother.
In 2022, Nathan was arrested and charged with his mother's murder. He pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence. Nathan's trial was due to take place in October 2023, but it never happened. In June of that year, he was found unresponsive inside his cell at the Cheshire County Jail in Keene, New Hampshire, having taken his own life. The charges against him were ultimately dismissed.
Where is Clark Carman now?
Nathan's father, Clark Carman, who takes part in the documentary, stood by his son's side throughout the ordeal. While the majority believed him to be guilty, Clark maintained that Nathan was a victim and had no part to play in Linda's death.
In the doc, Clark called speculation and inquiry against his son “baseless.” He also said that the court, police, and FBI did not take into account that Nathan was on the autism spectrum. He also stressed that whatever happened to Linda was a tragic accident.
In August 2022, Clark sent a personal letter to the court while Nathan's defense team were seeking his release. In the letter, Clark called his son a “responsible man,” and stressed that Nathan was not a threat to others. He also said he believed Nathan had no reason to harm his mother.
Following Nathan's death in 2023, Clark has understandably kept a low profile. That is, until he agreed to be interviewed for the Netflix documentary.
The Carman Family Deaths is now streaming on Netflix.
