Netflix’s newest documentary The Carman Family Deaths drops November 19, 2025. The 91-minute film examines the mysterious death of Linda Carman during a 2016 fishing trip. Her son Nathan survived, sparking accusations he murdered his mother for inheritance.
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🔥 Quick Facts:
- Linda Carman vanished at sea on September 17, 2016, off Rhode Island.
- Nathan was rescued 8 days later, 100 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
- He was charged with murder in May 2022 and died in custody in June 2023.
- Director Yon Motskin helms the true-crime investigation.
- The documentary also examines the 2013 unsolved death of Nathan’s grandfather.
What Happened During the Fishing Trip?
On September 17, 2016, 54-year-old Linda and her 22-year-old son Nathan departed from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. They were heading out for an overnight fishing excursion on his boat named the Chicken Pox. When three of Linda’s friends couldn’t reach her the next day, they reported the vessel missing.
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The Coast Guard launched an extensive search spanning roughly 62,000 nautical square miles. But eight days after they vanished, a freighter called the Orient Lucky spotted Nathan alone drifting in an emergency life raft. He was rescued about 100 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, but his mother was never found.
According to Nathan’s account, the boat had a malfunctioning engine belt. Water began flowing into the vessel, and during the chaos, he lost track of Linda. He never placed a distress call and couldn’t locate her when he reached the life raft. Investigators, however, quickly began questioning gaps in his story.
Why Did Authorities Suspect Nathan?
Coast Guard investigators noted that Nathan failed to follow basic safety protocol. He didn’t radio for assistance when the boat began taking on water. A South Kingstown police officer found bait in his truck despite claiming he was going fishing—suggesting he never intended to fish.
When asked why his mother wasn’t wearing a life vest, Nathan explained he needed to keep her occupied while fixing the boat problem. But FBI agent Lisa Tutty found his physical condition suspicious. After eight days at sea, he climbed aboard the rescue vessel with ease, appearing far too strong for someone who’d been floating for a week.
“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.”
The Inheritance Theory and Family Suspicions
Two weeks after his rescue, Nathan filed an $85,000 insurance claim for his sunken boat. The insurance company denied it, claiming his faulty repairs caused the sinking. Investigators saw this as part of a larger pattern. Three years earlier, Nathan’s grandfather John Chakalos—a wealthy Connecticut real-estate developer—was found shot dead in his home.
According to prosecutors, the deaths of both Linda and Chakalos were connected to inheritance schemes. In pre-2013 documents, Nathan had written to his grandfather’s trust attorney asking what he’d inherit upon both his grandfather’s and mother’s deaths. The timing seemed suspicious to FBI investigators.
An oceanographer contradicted Nathan’s account again. Water currents should have pushed his life raft westward, but he claimed he drifted east. The FBI also discovered he’d purchased an anchor incompatible with his boat plus heavy chains—pieces of equipment investigators theorized could sink a body or boat.
How Did the Case Proceed Through Courts?
For years, police couldn’t gather enough evidence to arrest Nathan. A warrant was drafted for his grandfather’s murder, but it remained unsigned. However, mounting evidence from the boat and sea investigation eventually convinced federal prosecutors.
On May 10, 2022, federal authorities arrested Nathan and charged him with murder on the high seas and inheritance fraud. Prosecutors alleged he’d deliberately sabotaged the vessel to make it sink. Nathan pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintained his innocence throughout the investigation.
His trial was scheduled for October 2023. But on June 15, 2023, correctional officers found Nathan unresponsive in his cell at the Cheshire County Jail in Keene, New Hampshire. Staff performed CPR for 40 minutes, but he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined his death was not suspicious, and all murder charges were subsequently dropped.
What Does the Documentary Reveal?
Netflix’s film presents both sides of this complicated case with new intensity. Director Yon Motskin includes interviews with investigators, Coast Guard officials, and the FBI agents who suspected Nathan. Nathan’s father Clark and autism experts argue bias influenced the investigation.
Elizabeth Kelley, an autism specialist attorney, explains how autistic individuals like Nathan can sound “cold and calculating” to law enforcement. John Elder Robison, another autism expert featured in the film, notes that Nathan’s detailed planning reflected his diagnosis, not guilt. The documentary examines whether investigators unfairly judged Nathan based on his autism diagnosis rather than concrete evidence.
Ultimately, The Carman Family Deaths refuses easy answers. Linda’s body was never recovered. Chakalos’s 2013 murder remains officially unsolved. The truth about what happened that September night in 2016 died with Nathan.
Will This Documentary Answer All Your Questions?
True-crime fans should prepare themselves. This documentary doesn’t deliver a neat conclusion. Instead, it examines competing narratives of grief, wealth, and suspicion that fractured a wealthy New England family forever. The unanswering case reveals how disability bias, inheritance complications, and circumstantial evidence can collide in complicated ways.
The Carman Family Deaths streams exclusively on Netflix starting November 19. It challenges viewers to form their own conclusions about Nathan’s guilt or innocence. Have you ever watched a true-crime documentary that left you genuinely uncertain about what really happened?
Sources
- Netflix Tudum – Official documentary press release and background
- TIME Magazine – Comprehensive case analysis and investigation details
- Biography.com – Complete timeline and trial information
Jessica Morrison is a seasoned entertainment writer with over a decade of experience covering television, film, and pop culture. After earning a degree in journalism from New York University, she worked as a freelance writer for various entertainment magazines before joining red94.net. Her expertise lies in analyzing television series, from groundbreaking dramas to light-hearted comedies, and she often provides in-depth reviews and industry insights. Outside of writing, Jessica is an avid film buff and enjoys discovering new indie movies at local festivals.