Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater near Galveston, Texas

HOUSTON​ — The Coast Guard has suspended the search mission for a missing boater in West Bay near Galveston, Texas, Wednesday.

Coast Guard crews searched over 297 square-miles over the span of approximately 65 hours.

The search began at approximately 11:15 p.m. Sunday evening when Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders were notified of a missing boater near Middle Deer Island who had lost control of his 16-foot skiff while attempting to retrieve his brother who was wade fishing at the time. The brother last saw him clinging to the side of the skiff. Due to all of their communications devices being on the adrift vessel, the brother was unable to notify authorities until a good Samaritan vessel arrived on scene.​ The​ unmanned vessel was later located on the north side of the Galveston Causeway.

Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin aircrew and a Station Galveston 29-foot Response Boat-Small boat crew to search.

«It’s never an easy​ decision to suspend a search for a missing loved one and our hearts are with the family of the missing​ individual,» said Zach Edwards, Sector Houston-Galveston command duty officer. «We would like to thank ​ all of the agencies and​ good Samaritans involved in the search who worked tirelessly over the past three days to conduct aerial flights, shore patrols and maritime searches covering more than 1,075 miles in the hopes of locating this gentleman.»

Involved in the search were:

• Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston
• Coast Guard Air Station Houston
• Coast Guard Station Galveston
• Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi
• Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans
• Galveston Fire Department
• Galveston County Sheriff’s Office
• Galveston Police Department
• Galveston Island Beach Patrol
• Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department
• Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search & Recovery

Anyone with any information is requested to contact the Sector Houston-Galveston command center at 281-464-4854.

-USCG-