A family’s symbol of hope and fight against cancer has been cruelly snatched away. A 36-foot speedboat, bestowed upon a Fort Pierce boy named Dylan in honor of his battle with leukemia, was reportedly stolen and spotted in Hollywood, as WSVN reported. The vibrantly-decorated vessel, named “Deserved Therapy,” was taken earlier this week, leaving the family distraught.
“Return it, please. Have a heart. Just return the boat. It means a lot to our family, please,” implored Peggy Botc, Dylan’s grandmother, in a statement obtained by WSVN. The boat, wrapped in a blue-and-orange coral-themed vinyl, proudly bears an orange ribbon representing leukemia awareness and carries on its deck the engraved slogan “Fight Dylan Fight.” Serving not just as a vessel upon the waters, but as a vessel of resilience, it is fortified with special features to accommodate Dylan’s wheelchair.
The Fort Pierce Police Department is actively searching for two suspects believed to be involved in the theft. According to information provided by CBS12, the heist took place on March 9, and the culprits used a U-Haul pickup to spirit away the boat and its trailer from a local business establishment.
Surveillance footage has led to the description of one of the suspects, who donned a pink sweater emblazoned with a logo, a black jacket, and a black hat, complemented by a distinctive beard. His accomplice is said to be clad in dark clothing, marked by a possible tattooed arm. The authorities have released images of both the suspects and the unique boat—its hues of hope now shrouded in the shadow of theft.
Amid the search for the stolen boat, the family’s message is clear and tinged with an offer of mercy for the perpetrators: "If they leave the boat someplace and call police, they will go pick up the boat, no questions asked," Brittni Davoudi, Dylan's aunt, told WSVN. The family urges anyone with knowledge of the boat’s whereabouts, which has been recently sighted in the Hollywood area, to reach out to the authorities, in an effort to restore a piece of their heart back to where it belongs.
