Coast Guard Will Suspend Search for Teens Missing at Sea

The boys’ families say they’ll press on with their own private search even if the Coast Guard halts theirs.

“As we come to the hard decision to suspend this search, our deepest condolences go to the families and all affected”, Coast Guard Captain Mark Fedor said in a statement. If new information comes to light the Coast Guard said it has the ability to reopen the case.

On Sunday, their boat was found capsized and damaged off the Ponce de Leon Inlet in central Florida, the Coast Guard said, noting that neither boy was in or around the boat.

Andrew Grubowski, 10, of Palm City, Fla., releases a lantern during a vigil for Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, Tuesday, July 28, 2015, in Stuart, Fla. “We have established “The Perry & Austin Rescue Fund” which will continue to be utilized to fund private aircraft, boat fuel and any other additional resources needed for the immediate recovery of our missing boys”.

The effort prompted NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath, a neighbor of one of the boys, to offer a $100,000 reward for information to help the search.

Rep. Patrick E. Murphy issued a statement with a simple plea: “Keep looking”.

The search featured Coast Guard C-130 and HC-144 planes, cutters Paul Clark and Sawfish, two U.S. Customs and Border Protection planes and Navy destroyer USS Carney.

The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday after covering almost 50,000 square nautical miles from Jupiter to the Carolinas.

“He’s always had an wonderful love for the water, an awesome respect for the water”, she said. Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss described the search early Friday as ongoing and says he has nothing new to report. As the nationwide search continues for Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, two teens lost at sea after a torrential storm in Jupiter, heading into the same storm Friday was the last anyone saw 63 year-old William Morlock.

“I think they’ve made a raft, between the cooler and the life jackets and whatever else they can find floating”.

“We’re all positive, spirits are still high”, said Austin’s uncle Matt Kuntz.

“We believe we reached the limit for our effective search and rescue efforts”, Fedor said.

It’s unclear exactly how long the Coast Guard will continue searching past Thursday but a petition online has already been created with thousands of signatures urging the search to go on.