‘Deadliest Catch’ Deckhand Todd Meadows Cause of Death Revealed
Deadliest Catch deckhand Todd Meadows’ official cause of death has been revealed more than a month after the Discovery Channel personality died at sea while crabbing off the Alaskan coast.
The 25-year-old deckhand’s cause of death is listed as “drowning with probable hypothermia” and “submersion of body in cold water” on the death certificate obtained by TMZ on Monday.
Aleutian Lady Captain Rick Shelford confirmed Meadows’ death at sea on March 2 with a Facebook post. “February 25, 2026 was the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea. We lost our brother, Todd Meadows,” the Deadliest Catch captain began.
“Todd was the newest member of our crew, he quickly became family,” Shelford continued. “His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away. His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”
“Todd’s love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did. He worked hard, loved deeply, and brought joy to those around him,” the captain continued. “Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express. We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him.”
“Todd will forever be part of this boat, this crew, and this brotherhood,” the Discovery personality concluded. “Though we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him. Rest easy brother, till we meet again.”
Trey John Green III, who bunked with Meadows, subsequently confirmed to Us Weekly that his fellow crew member had fallen overboard while out at sea, with the U.S. Coast Guard confirming that the crew was able to recover him from the water after about 10 minutes, but that he was “unresponsive” and “attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful.”
“Todd was an amazing human,” Green told Us Weekly, saying that he and Meadows’ other crew members “did everything we could to save him” after he fell overboard.
Meadows’ mother, Angela Meadows, has since issued a plea to Deadliest Catch producers not to air any of her son’s accident that was caught on camera, telling TMZ last month in a statement, “We don’t want to see any footage from the accident and do not want Discovery to air any of that footage or make money off of our son’s death. We hope they only air good things of Todd on that boat.”
“No parent would want the world to watch their child die,” she said in another statement via Alaska’s News Source.
