Netflix is diving into one of New England’s most baffling modern cases with The Carman Family Deaths, a new true-crime documentary arriving November 19, 2025. Centered on a missing mother, a dramatic ocean rescue, and a decades-spanning family tragedy, the film charts how a survival story quickly morphed into a web of accusations and unresolved questions.
Framed around what Netflix describes as “a young man’s dramatic rescue at sea,” the documentary follows how that rescue “spirals into accusations” involving two deaths within a wealthy New England family. With a seasoned nonfiction team behind the camera, The Carman Family Deaths aims to unpack the timeline, the law-enforcement response, and the lingering mysteries that still shadow the case.
What Happened In The Carman Family Case?
According to Netflix’s Tudum, Linda Carman and her 22-year-old son, Nathan Carman, set out on an overnight fishing trip off the coast of Rhode Island in September 2016. When Linda failed to check in with a friend the following day, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a massive search effort that ultimately spanned nearly 62,000 nautical square miles.
Eight days after the pair were reported missing, a passing freighter spotted Nathan alone, drifting in a life raft roughly 100 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. He was rescued alive. Linda was never found.
In the immediate aftermath, Nathan recounted his time at sea and expressed shock over his mother’s disappearance. But investigators and relatives soon raised concerns about inconsistencies in his account, including skipped safety steps and an offshore route that some considered unusually risky. Nathan, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, also faced intense public scrutiny over his demeanor in interviews—attention that advocacy groups often caution should not be conflated with culpability. The questions, however, added fuel to a case already under a microscope.
Complicating matters further was an earlier tragedy within the family. Three years before the 2016 fishing trip, Linda’s father, millionaire real-estate developer John Chakalos, was found murdered in his bed. As reported by Tudum, Nathan was the last known person to see his grandfather alive, a detail that intensified suspicion as investigators reexamined family dynamics and timelines.
The case escalated in 2022, when Nathan was arrested and charged in connection with the death of his mother, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. The charges shifted the narrative from a search-and-rescue operation to a potential homicide investigation tethered to a separate, still-unresolved killing.
An April 2025 episode of ABC’s 20/20 provided an update: Nathan died by suicide in jail on June 15, 2023. Following his death, criminal charges tied to Linda’s disappearance were dismissed. The Windsor Police Department, however, told the program that the investigation into the 2013 murder of Chakalos remains active, leaving a crucial thread of the Carman family saga unresolved.
Who’s Behind Netflix’s The Carman Family Deaths?
The documentary is directed by Yon Motskin, produced by Mary-Jane Mitchell, and executive produced by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The project is produced in partnership with Wired Studios. Together, the team assembles a comprehensive look at the dual-track narrative at the center of the case—an extraordinary ocean rescue and the subsequent wave of suspicion that reframed it.
While Netflix has not released extensive plot details beyond its succinct logline, The Carman Family Deaths is positioned to trace the core events with a focus on verifiable records, media coverage, and the official actions that followed. Expect the film to chart the Coast Guard’s sweeping search, the recovery of Nathan at sea, and the steps that led federal authorities to bring charges years later. It also contextualizes how the unsolved killing of Chakalos, the family patriarch, became an unavoidable part of the Carman narrative—and why that investigation continues even after Nathan’s death.
By situating the rescue at the heart of the story, the documentary has a clear vantage point on how singular facts can reverberate through a family and a community, and how a high-profile survival tale can transform as investigators uncover new information. The filmmakers’ true-crime approach underscores what remains officially documented, what has been contested, and what questions are still unanswered.
The Carman Family Deaths Release Date & Where To Watch
The Carman Family Deaths premieres globally on Netflix on November 19, 2025. The feature-length documentary adds a high-profile entry to the streamer’s true-crime slate, spotlighting a case that blends maritime peril with allegations of violence inside a prominent New England family.
For viewers following the story since 2016—or encountering it for the first time—the film lays out the essential points: the Rhode Island fishing trip that ended in a missing person case, the eight-day ordeal that culminated in a rare open-sea rescue, the growing skepticism surrounding the survivor’s account, and the legal actions that ensued before a sudden, tragic end. Crucially, it also notes what remains unresolved. As authorities have stated, the investigation into the murder of John Chakalos is still open, keeping the Carman case from ever fully closing the door on its most pivotal questions.
With its tight scope, veteran non-fiction team, and access to a case that has been scrutinized by media and law enforcement for nearly a decade, The Carman Family Deaths aims to provide a clear, structured timeline for a story that has often been defined by ambiguity. The result should help viewers separate the established record from the speculation that has long surrounded the Carman family’s tragedies.
