Three Americans are wanted missing Sailing off the coast of Mexico earlier this month has been suspended, authorities said Wednesday.
The US Coast Guard said it was informed by the Mexican Navy that it had suspended the search for Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross. The Coast Guard is assisting in the search operation.
The three were last heard from on April 4 near Mazatlan, Mexico, according to the Coast Guard. They were sailing “Ocean Bound,” a 44-foot Lafitte sailboat.
US Coast Guard
The sailors left Mazatlan en route to San Diego, the Coast Guard said, and were supposed to stop at Cabo San Lucas on April 6, but never arrived. Their last known contact came on April 4, when they called requesting a stop at Cabo San Lucas for food and fuel.
The Coast Guard said Wednesday that its joint search effort with the Mexican Navy has logged 281 search hours and covered just over 200,000 square nautical miles.
The search focused on Mexico’s northern Pacific coast and resulted in no sign of the missing sailors or their sailboat, the Coast Guard said.
Kerry and Frank O’Brien are a married couple. Kerry’s mother, Ellen Argall, told CBS News earlier this week That his daughter and son-in-law have sailed together for nearly 20 years and are both licensed boat captains. They asked Gross, who had 50 years of experience, to travel with them.
“It’s agony, pure agony,” Argall said. “I’m trying to keep myself together.”
The Coast Guard said bad weather conditions were reported the day they left Mazatlan and Ocean Bound’s navigation equipment was outdated.
“It’s a long trip even in good conditions,” a Coast Guard spokesman told CBS News.
— Alice Preston contributed to this report.
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