What happened to Tova's son, Erik?

Erik, Tova's son, turned 18 a few days before he disappeared. At first, his disappearance was considered a runaway case. The last person who saw him was a deckhand working the 11 o'clock southbound ferry, the last boat of the night. Erik had been working at the ticket booth and was to lock it up after the boat left. The sheriff found the ticket booth unlocked. The register cash was fully accounted for. Erik's backpack was stashed under the chair, along with his portable cassette player and headphones, and wallet. A week later, they found a boat that washed ashore with its anchor rope cut clean. Erik's prints were on the rudder. The sheriff thought it pointed to Erik taking his own life. Tova has never believed that.