Daytona Beach, FL – The United States Coast Guard suspends the search for a missing 58-year-old paddleboarder.
Coast Guard officials made that announcement late Friday night in the search for William Morlock, one that took up most of Florida’s Atlantic coast and also extended into Georgia and South Carolina.
That’s the same night the USCG also suspended the search for missing Jupiter teenagers Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen.
“In this tragic time, our deepest condolences go to the family and friends of Mr. Morlock,” said USCG Captain Michael Long, the Coast Guard Sector Miami deputy commander. “We are pained that our tireless search efforts resulted in this heartbreaking end.”
The USCG did 42 search patterns on over 35,000 square nautical miles since the search for Morlock started on Saturday.
Morlock’s paddle board was found drifting in the ocean on Saturday 6 nautical miles east of Normandy Beach, which is in the Port St. Lucie area.
It wasn’t until 9am the following day, though, that Morlock’s sisters called the USCG’s Miami command center and told them she hadn’t seen her brother since Friday night.
The missing paddle board was linked to Morlock when she told the USCG she last saw him at the home they share preparing his paddle board.
Air Force and Navy assets were also involved in the search for Morlock, as was the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.