As the Coast Guard continues its search for a missing sailboat with four family members on board off the Florida shores, a bucket was found Thursday morning with personal items, including birth certificates, wallets, and a GPS.
Overnight, the Coast Guard also spotted what they believed to be a flare.
The family, a father and his three teens, was reported missing near Englewood, Fla., on Tuesday, June 21. The Coast Guard launched a search and found a debris field on Wednesday morning.
Later on Wednesday a body was recovered by the Coast Guard, who said it was likely one of the family members. The agency hasn’t identified the body, but NBC reported that a family member confirmed it was the daughter, Rebecca Kimberly, 17.
Personal items located off the coast of Sanibel, Florida, believed to belong to missing family. pic.twitter.com/rCjvJzD3zk
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) June 22, 2016
On Thursday, at about 2:30 a.m. a Coast Guard patrol boat and a helicopter spotted what they believed was a flare. They redirected the search to that area, Coast Guard Captain Gregory Case said at a Thursday press conference broadcast live by local Fox 13 News.
Then, at about 8:15 a.m., the Coast Guard found the bucket in the area where the body was recovered, about 33 miles off Sanibel Island.
The Coast Guard continues to search for the remaining three missing, Case said.
#USCG search-and-rescue crews continue to search for missing family west of Sanibel Island, FL. pic.twitter.com/0LLfphBwGJ
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) June 22, 2016
