Coast Guard: 1 body found in search for missing Florida family
MIAMI -- The U.S. Coast Guard says it has found a body while searching for a family last seen in a 29-foot sailboat off Florida's southwest coast.
The Coast Guard said in a press conference Wednesday evening they have recovered one body within the search area that had a life vest on, but they have not said which one of the four family members it is. There is still no sign of the sailboat, CBS affiliate WTSP reported.
The Coast Guard, along with other agencies, will help search through the night using sonar technology. Another press conference with an update on the search is expected at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The Coast Guard tweeted Wednesday that two kayaks being pulled by the sailboat were found, and they also found life jackets while searching for the family.
After the debris was spotted by air in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard contacted a nearby boater who collected several items and held them for a Coast Guard boat, Capt. Gregory Case said.
The tarp, water jugs, six life jackets and a propane tank were then identified by the brother of 45-year-old Ace Kimberly, who had been living on the sailboat with his children for a year.
The items were located about 33 nautical miles off Florida's Sanibel Island, the Coast Guard tweeted.
Kimberly left Sarasota on Sunday, with 13-year-old Roger, 15-year-old Donny and 17-year-old Rebecca, for Fort Myers to have the boat repaired.
Kimberly's brother alerted the Coast Guard on Tuesday after they failed to arrive, Case said. The brother said their last word came Sunday, when Ace Kimberly told him they were sailing in "6-foot seas and thunderstorms."
The poor sailing condition of the sailboat was briefly addressed by Coast Guard officials, WTSP reported.
"They were taking a trip down there to work on the vessel. The vessel was not, not in the best of shape," said Case.