The “message in a bottle” cliche is used over and over again in literature, reminiscent of the times of pirates and kingdoms. But who knew that such a practice still exists today, even right here in Beverly Massachusetts?
On January 3, 2025, a bottle filled with heartfelt letters and pictures was discovered on the shore of a local beach. The man, Doug Turnbull, who found the bottle, opened its contents out of curiosity. Now in a wave of inspiration, Turnbull is determined to return the bottle to its rightful owner.
There were multiple letters in the bottle each addressed to a certain “Ken” or sometimes “Bompy”. All of these were written by a different person. One was written by a man named Dan. Others were from two grandchildren named Jacob and Jordan. Another anonymous writer even went by the nickname “Tootsie Roll”.
The bottle also contained pictures and photographs of the alleged “Ken”, although they are almost indecipherable given the water and sun exposure being out in the ocean. Given the contents of the letters and quotes such as “It’s been five years and a day goes by that I don’t think of you,” some make the reasonable claim that this was an act of memorial to a deceased family member, making it all the more heart-wrenching. Turnbull is actively searching for the family as we speak, along with a variety of strangers on the internet who found themselves emotionally connected to the case.
Turnbull claims that he would love to speak with the family in order to connect with them on a deeper level. In an interview with WBZ-TV, he implies that he is going through his own process of grief and would like to connect with the family to empathize with them. While those “investigating the case” have made little progress in identifying who created the bottle, the local news station WBV News encourages anyone who might have a lead to contact newstips@wbztv.com to get into contact with Turnbull.
Whether or not the family will be identified is a complete mystery, for there is a reasonable chance they do not want to be found. It is possible they wish to keep this beautiful act of remembrance (if that’s what it is) private to those who best knew Ken, and for that you cannot blame them.
In either case, this was a rather surprising and emotional story that happened right near the shores of Endicott College! I guess it serves as a reminder to always take the time to look at the world around you. It can be a beautiful place afterall.