On Sunday, a Coast Guard crew out of Clearwater found the boys’ 19-foot boat capsized about 67 nautical miles off the coast of Ponce Inlet.
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At sunset Friday, the Coast Guard plans to suspend its search for two 14-year-old Florida boys who disappeared while on a fishing trip. The Coast Guard said it had information that the boys may have told others through social media that they planned to travel to the Bahamas, but officials and family members say they’re not sure the objective of the boys’ trip and the destination.
In addition to the Coast Guard search, the families have created a mini operation center in their homes to coordinate private planes from Florida to South Carolina who are looking for Austin and Perry.
The boys bonded through their love of fishing and being on the water, and despite their youth have spent many hours boating with their families and without adult company.
But the Coast Guard says it will resume the search only if it receives new information or new leads develop.
Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss described the search early Friday as ongoing and says he has nothing new to report.
“It was kind of heartbreaking not finding them”, he said.
Black said she knew the two were headed to an offshore fishing spot when they left the Tequesta dock where they gassed up the boat.
On behalf of both families we would like to thank the US Coast Guard and other Federal government and local agencies in their relentless efforts to search and rescue our boys.
“We believe we reached the limit for our effective search and rescue efforts”, Fedor said.
The families had held out hope that items believed to have been on the boat, including a large cooler, might be spotted, or that the teens might even have clung to something buoyant in their struggle to stay alive.
The Coast Guard has scaled down their efforts as there has been no signs of the Florida missing teens. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP) This combination made from photos provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows Perry Cohen, left, and Austin Stephanos, both 14 years old. “We’re going to actively continue searching for them”.
“It is a mother’s prayer that you will be safe and sound in our arms today”, Austin’s mother, Pamela Cohen, tweeted Friday. The Coast Guard said it tried to err toward optimism in its own assessment of how long to press on, assuming a best-case outcome.
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People in southeastern Florida rallied around the teens’ relatives during the search, including football great Joe Namath, a neighbor of the boys’ families.
