Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing FL Teen Boaters

When the two didn’t return as expected, authorities were notified and the U.S. Coast Guard kicked off a search that began shortly after 5 p.m. last Friday.

Coast Guard Captain Mark Fedor, chief of response for the Coast Guard 7th District in Miami will inform the public about search efforts. 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 Coast Guard has searched waters from Florida up through South Carolina without success.

The boys’ family members said in a statement that they would continue private search and rescue efforts, according to local media reports.

Friday is the eighth and final day the Coast Guard will spend searching for Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both 14.

The boys were allowed to go fishing alone because they had spent much of their childhood on the water, their parents said.

Korniloff is the stepfather of Perry Cohen, one of two teenagers who have been missing since last Friday when they went out on a boat to go fishing from Tequesta, Fla. “We are constantly reevaluating our information”, Anthony Soto with the U.S. Coast Guard said. Their families said they could swim before they could walk. The National Weather Service posted special marine warnings, telling boaters to seek shelter about the time they departed.

A family statement released at noon reads, “We are continuing the search for Perry and Austin and not giving up until they are rescued”.

The agency said it ended the search at sunset Friday as it had announced earlier in the day.

“We had no idea they were going offshore”, he said.

This combination made from photos provided by the U.S. Coast Guard…

The Coast Guard launched its search shortly after the 911 call was placed.

Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss said Thursday night that crews will be mobilized through Friday morning, but no determination had been made beyond that. “They may very well devote a large portion of the next few weeks, months, maybe even years just toward hope and doing what they can to bring themselves a sense of peace”. It’s unknown whether the boys were wearing life jackets. The Coast Guard makes its decision erring on the side of best-case scenarios, while still noting there are limits to how long humans can survive in the open ocean.

On Thursday, several friends got together at the beach to hold a prayer vigil for the Florida missing teens and their families.