MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – The girlfriend of a 27-year-old snorkeler, who authorities said died in July after possibly being hit by a boat off the Florida Keys, is speaking to Local 10 News for the first time as she awaits answers in his death.
Devin Ordway and Michelle Demers, from Port Orange, were vacationing in the Keys at the time.
Demers is pregnant with Ordway’s unborn child.
“He was the only person who could really understand me,” she said. “The only one I really wanted to marry.”
Ordway was snorkeling off Stock Island, near Key West, on July 25, when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said an FWC officer was notified that a man who was snorkeling in the area had not yet surfaced.
Authorities recovered his body several hours later.
FWC is looking to see whether one of its law enforcement boats may have hit Ordway.
“Due to the FWC vessel in proximity at the time and location the accident may have occurred, the FWC has requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct an independent investigation of the incident to ensure complete transparency,” a spokesperson told Local 10 News after the incident. “This is an active and ongoing boating accident investigation. All of us at the FWC extend our heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of the victim during this time.”
“He was the greatest dad ever, he was kind,” Demers said. “If he didn’t know something, he would find it out.”
Devin was a father figure to her 5-year-old son from another relationship, she said. They were so excited to build a life together.
“He had just bought a house for us that he never got to live in,” Demers said. “He was excited to be a dad.”
In the meantime, Demers will name her son after the father he will never get to meet.
“I pray that he’s happy and at peace and I pray to keep my baby healthy,” Demers said.
Demers has set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.