SAN DIEGO — After an exhaustive operation to locate three missing Americans, the Mexican Navy has suspended search operations, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien, and William Gross left Mazatlán, Mexico, on April 4 on the sailing vessel Ocean Bound, a 44-foot La Fitte. The sailors were en route to San Diego, but didn't arrive or make contact during a scheduled stop in Cabo San Lucas.
The suspension of search efforts comes after the Mexican Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Canada conducted more than 281 search hours. According to the coast guard, responders searched more than 200,000 square nautical miles near Mexico's northern Pacific Coast.
Despite the multi-national search effort, responders found no sign of the missing sailing vessel or passengers.
“An exhaustive search was conducted by our international search and rescue partner, Mexico, with the U.S. Coast Guard and Canada providing additional search assets,” said Cmdr. Gregory Higgins, command center chief, Coast Guard District 11. “SEMAR and U.S. Coast Guard assets worked hand-in-hand for all aspects of the case. Unfortunately, we found no evidence of the three Americans’ whereabouts or what might have happened. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of William Gross, Kerry O’Brien and Frank O’Brien.”
In an interview with CBS 8, the families of the three sailors said they have been pushing the sailing community in Southern California to join the search. They say hundreds of boats have been helping look for the experienced crew.
"This is a reminder for mariners of the importance of providing a person ashore with your float plan which in this case allowed the U.S Coast Guard to be notified when the missing sailors did not check in with family," the coast guard said.
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