Stevie Conway, the girlfriend to missing fisherman Caleb Wilkinson, has publicly announced that she’s four months pregnant as the search continues for Wilkinson, her brother Dalton Conway and their friend Tyler Barlow.
The three men were reported missing off the coast of Brunswick on Oct. 21 when the owner of the boat they were on grew concerned after the vessel failed to return on time. The fishing trip began Oct. 14, and on On Oct. 26, the Coastal Guard called off the search after searching more than 94,000 square miles.
“Life is just getting good and it won’t stop here! We love you so much Caleb Wilkinson!,” Stevie wrote in a social media post with photos of an ultrasound. “You boys stay strong and keep your faith! We know that you all know how hard we’re trying to get y’all home. All 3 families are fighting warriors and WONT STOP!”
Although Stevie said she and her brother Dalton grew up on the water, this was Wilkinson's first fishing trip. He had been exploring other options to make money and that was something that was available to him, she said.
"You know, you can go out for four days and you can come back with $1400 in your pocket, so it's really good money," Stevie said. "He was just wanting to be able to bring more money to the family."
Wilkinson knew Stevie was pregnant, but she was waiting for him to get back from his fishing trip to find out the gender. While holding out hope for his return, she decided to open the gender test results without him. She is keeping the results private for now.
Cajun Navy joins efforts as family continues private search for missing Georgia fishermen
With the Coast Guard search suspended, the families of the three men are using other resources to search. They started a GoFundMe last week to fund private pilots and planes to look for them and managed to get Rep. Steven Sainz to enlist the help of the Cajun Navy, a non-profit that organizes search and rescue teams during national disasters.
"Every search is different, and the first thing we do is coordinate with the families of the missing persons, just to make sure that our efforts are consistent with their wishes, what they want us to be doing and what information they want sent to our followers," said Bran Trascher, VP and spokesperson for the Cajun Navy.
Trascher said, as of Monday, the volunteer organization had boats out looking, and they have been dropping in pilot Facebook groups to find people with aircrafts that had the capability of doing what the search needs.
"I think there's a great possibility that they can be found," Trascher said. "You know every day that goes by, the chances diminish that they're found in good health, but they're strong, healthy men and hopefully didn't encounter any weather too severe that would have rendered the boat unable to stay afloat or remain seaworthy."
Recently, Stevie said, the families were able to hire a pilot with two photographers. Down East Emergency Medicine Institute (DEEMI) volunteered their services to review all the pictures that were taken on the plan and decipher them to see if they could see anything that might be the men.
Stevie said that Wilkinson has epilepsy, needing to medication twice daily. Not knowing if he has enough medication weighs on her and his family members.
She also said that her brother Dalton had been on the water since he was 17 years old.
"He respects the waters very well, so we're just hoping he's able to put his knowledge to the best of his ability to get these boys back home," Stevie said.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Girlfriend of missing Georgia fisherman announces pregnancy as private search efforts continue
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