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A massive search for 3 missing American sailors off Mexico coast has been called off
Jonathan Franklin
The Mexican Navy searched for three Americans who went missing along with their sailboat off Mexico's northern Pacific coast. Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien and William Gross were aboard the boat and have not been heard from since April 4, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. AP hide caption
The Mexican Navy searched for three Americans who went missing along with their sailboat off Mexico's northern Pacific coast. Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien and William Gross were aboard the boat and have not been heard from since April 4, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The search for three Americans missing along with their sailboat off Mexico's northern Pacific coast since April 4 has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
In a news release Wednesday, the agency said the search was suspended pending "further developments" after SEMAR — the Mexican navy — and the Coast Guard spent roughly 280 hours searching Mexico's northern Pacific coast.
After searching nearly 200,000 square miles with no sign of the missing passengers and the missing sailing vessel, officials suspended the search.
"SEMAR and U.S. Coast Guard assets worked hand-in-hand for all aspects of the case. Unfortunately, we found no evidence of the three Americans' whereabouts or what might have happened," Coast Guard Cmdr. Gregory Higgins said.
U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican navy are searching for 3 missing American sailors
The three sailors — identified as Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien and William Gross — reportedly left Mazatlán, a city on Mexico's west coast, aboard a 44-foot boat named Ocean Bound on April 4 and were headed to San Diego.
They planned to stop in Cabo San Lucas — roughly 224 miles from Mazatlán — on April 6 to report in before they continued their trip, the Coast Guard said. However, there was no record of the three mariners arriving in Cabo San Lucas nor a check-in of their location.
In an interview with San Diego TV station NBC 7 , the family of William Gross told the station they have not lost hope and that he and his sailing companions will be found.
"Our hope is for our Dad, and Kerry and Frank to be sailing into port soon, tired and sore, but safe," the Gross family said in a statement to the station. "And our hearts certainly go out to the other two families who are being equally impacted during this extremely difficult time."
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Search Halted for 3 Americans Missing Off the Mexican Coast
Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross, who were sailing aboard the Ocean Bound, were last heard from near Mazatlán, Mexico, on April 4.
By Johnny Diaz
The search for three Americans who were reported missing two weeks ago, after sailing off the coast of Mexico to California, has been called off, the authorities in both countries said.
The U.S. Coast Guard in Alameda, Calif., said on Wednesday that the Mexican Navy, known as SEMAR, had informed the agency that it had suspended its search for the three people after an effort of a cumulative 281 hours covering just over 200,000 square nautical miles.
The missing people, a woman and two men identified as Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross, were sailing aboard the Ocean Bound, a 44-foot La Fitte sailboat. They were last heard from on April 4, when they were near Mazatlán, Mexico, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
The three travelers had left Mazatlán on their way to San Diego, and they were scheduled to stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on April 6 to resupply the boat with provisions, according to the Coast Guard.
“However, they did not report in or arrive in Cabo San Lucas,” the Coast Guard said.
On Saturday, the Coast Guard shared information and photos of the missing sailors and the vessel.
The Coast Guard said that the search encompassed “an area larger than the state of California” off Mexico’s northern Pacific Coast, but that there were no signs of the missing boat or its passengers. The Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy worked together in coordinating and conducting the search.
As part of the effort, marine broadcasts were dispatched over VHF radio, but they did not yield any clues about the location of the missing travelers.
“An exhaustive search was conducted by our international search-and-rescue partner, Mexico, with the U.S. Coast Guard and Canada providing additional search assets,” Cmdr. Gregory Higgins, command center chief of Coast Guard District 11, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we found no evidence of the three Americans’ whereabouts or what might have happened.”
He added that “our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends” of the three sailors.
After the suspension of the search, Heather Alcazar, one of Mr. Gross’s daughters, said on Thursday that “although this was devastating news for our families, we support the decision of SEMAR and the U.S.C.G.”
Ms. Alcazar said her father, 71, is a San Diego resident.
“Knowing that our family members have been part of a multinational search is not something we take for granted,” Ms. Alcazar said. “It shows the kind of commitment and cooperation we will all praise in the years to come.”
“Ocean Bound and her crew are missing,” she added, “but they will not be forgotten.”
Ms. O’Brien’s mother, Ellen Argall, said on Friday that her daughter, who is 52, and Frank O’Brien have been married for 18 years, and that both are licensed boat captains who have sailed for nearly 20 years. The couple , who live in Girdwood, Alaska, had invited their friend Mr. Gross to join them on the trip, Ms. Argall said.
“I was devastated but I understand,” she said of the suspension of the search. “I still have a glimmer of hope. I am not going to lose my little glimmer of hope.”
Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. More about Johnny Diaz
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