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Coast Guard Suspends Search for Two Missing Florida Fishermen After Boat Found Adrift

Officials paused the multi-day effort at sunset Monday pending new leads.

Overview

  • Randall Spivey, 57, and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, 33, disappeared after leaving a private dock in Iona for a day fishing trip on Friday.
  • Their 42-foot Freeman catamaran, Unstoppable, was found about 70 miles offshore still running and in gear with its emergency beacon aboard, but no one on the vessel.
  • The Coast Guard said crews and partner agencies searched roughly 6,700 square miles using cutters, aircraft and surface teams in 10 mph winds and 3-foot seas.
  • The recovered boat was transported to Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach for investigation as families continue appeals for help.
  • Authorities urged volunteers to coordinate through official channels to avoid hindering operations, and an FBI inquiry into the disappearance was reported by the ABA Journal citing the U.S. Sun.