The Facebook group Bring Our Boys Home, dedicated to the three men who disappeared off the Brunswick, Georgia coast a month ago, posted on Monday an urgent message for boats to search the Matanzas Inlet area off Florida’s Atlantic Ocean coast because a “possible life raft had been spotted.”
Petty Officer First Class Ronnie Dickinson said the U.S. Coast Guard could not confirm if what was spotted is a life raft, but the Mayport Station in Mayport, Florida are currently searching the area. They have yet to find anything as of Monday afternoon.
The message from the group arrived less than 24 hours after they posted that a fish bin and debris were spotted off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida on Sunday.
Credit: United Cajun Navy
Credit: United Cajun Navy
Dickinson said on Monday the Coast Guard had been made aware of that report. They have searched the area, but have no results thus far and the search for the missing fishermen remains suspended.
Caleb Wilkinson, Dalton Conway and Tyler Barlow, all 24 years old, were reported missing on Oct. 21. The owner of the boat they were on grew concerned after the vessel failed to return on Oct. 19. The fishing trip began on Oct. 14. On Oct. 26, the Coast Guard called off the search after scouring more than 94,000 square miles of ocean.
Stevie Conway, the girlfriend of Wilkinson and the sister of Dalton, posted on her Facebook on Sunday that debris was found off the Florida coast. The Coast Guard has not confirmed if the debris belonged to the Carol Ann, the name of the missing boat.
Credit: Lindsey Orum
Credit: Lindsey Orum
The Cajun Navy, a nonprofit organization of volunteers conducting search and rescue efforts, posted on Facebook that it had been confirmed by the owner that the fish box and buoy balls from the boat had been located 16 miles off the coast. The post also noted that the Coast Guard had been informed and dispatched to the location Monday morning. The nonprofit requested additional volunteer boats, helicopters and planes to assist in searching the area.
The families of the missing men have remained hopeful they are alive. Through the support of GoFundMe donations, they have been able to find pilots and photographers to continue the search efforts. The Cajun Navy have lent their support as a resource, alongside the assistance of Down East Emergency Medicine Institute Search and Rescue. The organization analyzed photos taken on the planes to decipher if any of the images contained tips worth pursuing.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Life raft, debris possibly from boat of missing Georgia men found off Florida coast
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