The Coast Guard is searching for a father and his three teenage children who were aboard a sailboat that went missing off the Gulf Coast of Florida.
The father, Ace Kimberly, and the teens, Becky Kimberly (17), Donny Kimberly (15) and Roger Kimberly (13), who had been living on the sailboat for around a year, were reported missing on Sunday afternoon after leaving Sarasota for Fort Meyers, the Coast Guard said Tuesday.
Coast Guard Capt. Gregory Case
On Tuesday morning, the Coast Guard located debris that was believed to belong to the missing family. The debris included a tarp, six lifeboats, one or two tennis shoes, a basketball, a propane tank, and four water bottles tied together, Coast Guard Capt. Gregory Case said at a press briefing. He called the discovery a "dire finding" but added it was "heartening" that the debris was found right in the middle of the Coast Guard's search pattern. There was no sign of the missing family, he said.
The family had left Sarasota on Sunday at around 7 a.m. and were headed to Fort Meyers to visit Ace Kimberly's brother to repair their sailboat as the "vessel was not in the best shape," Case said.
Ace Kimberly contacted his brother around 3 p.m. on Sunday, saying he had "become concerned" as he was experiencing rough 6-foot seas and thunderstorms. He told his brother he was attempting to survive with his children offshore of Englewood, the Coast Guard said. That was the last, Kimberly's brother heard from him.
"It's hard to say if they're ok," Case said. "Right now, we are throwing everything we have at this search."
Case said there was another lifeboat and two kayaks attached to the boat, that were not found among the debris.
He said Kimberly's family was "terrified, anxious and upset" but were "hoping for the best."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter
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