The U.S. Coast Guard and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office have intensified the search for two Floridians, 57-year-old Randall Spivey and 33-year-old Brandon Billmaier, who went missing during a fishing trip off Fort Myers, according to NBC Miami. The men left early Friday morning from a residence on Intracoastal Court aboard a 42-foot Freeman boat, local authorities reported.
The community was alarmed when the empty boat was found 70 miles from shore with its motor still running. Riley Perkofski, a US Coast Guard Southeast District public affairs specialist, told Fox News Digital that the vessel’s anchor was deployed to stop it from drifting further.
Anxieties grew as Billmaier’s wife shared on social media about the missing men, a post highlighted by Semafor White House correspondent Shelby Talcott. Local officials urged the public to participate in the search while providing guidelines to ensure that volunteers did not interfere with professional rescue efforts.
WBBH-TV captured an emotional plea from Tricia Spivey, Randall’s wife: 'We’ve gotta find them. Please. Please, please find them. They’re amazing people. I mean, I, I don’t know, I just — I just need him back. He needs to come back to us.' Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is directing an extensive search operation over the ocean and has warned nearby aircraft to remain vigilant, according to the New York Post.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Coast Guard have asked anyone with information about Spivey or Billmaier to call the Sheriff’s Office at 239-477-1000 or 911 in an emergency. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS, according to NBC Miami.
