Florida Missing Teens: Coast Guard To Call Off Search For Boys Lost At Sea
The U.S. Coast Guard announced they are calling off the search for those Florida missing teens who vanished a week ago today on Friday afternoon.
According to news reports, the Coast Guard will explain they have exhausted their resources looking for the 14-year-old boys and best friends. However, it is expected the families will continue their efforts to locate their sons.
After searching non-stop for a week and overnight, the Coast Guard is calling off their efforts in the case of the Florida missing teens. Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen were last seen buying gas for their 19-foot boat near Jupiter, Florida last Friday at about 1:30 p.m. on what was thought to be a fishing trip off the coast, but turned into a nightmare.
Even though the families insist the boys didn’t have permission to venture into open waters on their own, the Coast Guard received reports that indicate otherwise. Witnesses said the Florida missing teens told them they were heading off to the Bahamas, a trip they had made before with their families.
The area searched by the Coast Guard so far is 40,000 square nautical miles, about the size of Alabama, and stretches from Daytona Beach to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashley Johnson said, according to NBC. Two Coast Guard cutters, and an HC-130 search and rescue plane conducted three more searches Thursday.
The Coast Guard has scaled down their efforts as there has been no signs of the Florida missing teens. With the exception of the discovery of their capsized boat and a personal flotation device last weekend, search teams have not found the boys’ whereabouts.
The families are holding out hope that the teens’ experience will help them find safety despite the number of days they have been at sea. Carly Black, Austin’s mother, insists the boys know what their doing even though they’re only 14.
“I think they’ve made a raft, between the cooler and the life jackets and whatever else they can find floating.”
“My husband keeps saying that he thinks one of them made a spear pole and they’re out there eating sushi. These boys are like mini-MacGyvers.”
On Thursday, several friends got together at the beach to hold a prayer vigil for the Florida missing teens and their families. The story has garnered national attention and several high-profile people, including former NFL star, Joe Namath — who is a neighbor of the families — has offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to Austin and Perry’s whereabouts.
[Image via Twitter]
