A Florida man is facing attempted murder charges after authorities say he brutally attacked his wife and repeatedly threw her overboard during a fishing trip more than 30 miles offshore, allegedly enraged over a snapped fishing line.
Douglas Naeher, 60, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder after a violent outburst that left his wife with a concussion and multiple contusions, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office affidavit filed Monday.
The incident occurred on July 20, when Naeher and his wife, who has not been publicly identified, set off from the dock at their Holmes Beach home aboard his 30-foot Sterling center-console boat around 7 a.m. for a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. The couple, married for three years and together for six, headed approximately 33 miles off the coast of Bean Point.
According to the affidavit, Naeher’s mood was noticeably off from the beginning. He was unusually quiet and visibly angry, the victim told police. Once they reached their destination, things escalated when Naeher’s fishing line snapped.
Irritated and “irate,” Naeher allegedly began yelling and lashing out. In an attempt to defuse the situation, his wife entered the water with a pool noodle and held onto a rope tied to the boat. But police say Naeher untied the rope and started the engine, leaving her adrift in open water.
The victim later told investigators she believed Naeher intended to abandon her at sea, and only turned back after noticing another boat in the distance that may have spotted them.
When she managed to climb back aboard, Naeher allegedly launched into a violent assault—punching her repeatedly in the head, then stomping on her with both feet until she drifted in and out of consciousness. The woman said she feigned death by slowing her breathing in hopes that he would stop.
Instead, police say Naeher dragged her by the hair to the back of the boat and shoved her overboard again. While in the water, he allegedly grabbed her by the throat and tried to strangle and drown her.
“I’m going to f—ing kill you,” he allegedly shouted as she gasped for air.
Despite her injuries, the victim managed to hook her feet around the boat’s ladder and hang on. Naeher then dragged her through the water for a short distance, seemingly unaware she was clinging to the boat.
When he finally slowed down, she climbed aboard again—only to be pushed overboard a second time. This time, the woman wrapped a rope from the back of the boat around her ankle before he tried to drive away again.
Ultimately, she pulled herself aboard a third time as the boat neared the dock. She jumped off before Naeher could attack her again and ran for help.
The sheriff’s office said the woman sustained a concussion, bruises, and other injuries in the repeated attacks. Naeher was arrested and is currently being held without bond.
