A boat was found running in the Gulf with no one aboard. A search is on for 2 missing fishermen
By Derrick Shaw & Jackie Guenther
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FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — Crews are intensifying their search for two men who went missing during a fishing trip. Their boat was found still running, with no one aboard, 70 miles off the coast of Fort Myers on Saturday.
U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are actively searching for Randy Spivey, 57, and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier, 33, who went missing during the trip that began Friday morning.
Family members reported Spivey and Billmaier were missing after they left from their private dock in Iona early Friday morning and didn’t return before sundown.
The boat, a green 42-foot Freeman catamaran named “Unstoppable,” was found by the Coast Guard on Saturday morning running and drifting about 70 miles offshore from Fort Myers, with no one on board.
Officials emphasize that the operation remains a search-and-rescue effort, not a recovery mission.
The U.S. Coast Guard, leading the search from Miami, is joined by Collier and Lee County fire and law enforcement crews, with firefighters volunteering their time on the water. Volunteer pilots have also joined the search, taking private planes from Naples Airport to assist in locating the missing fishermen.
Randy Spivey’s boat was found by the U.S. Coast Guard 70 miles offshore, running with nobody on board. Search coordinators have renewed hope after learning that they may have been wearing blue and yellow auto-inflate life jackets, which could increase their chances of survival.
Scott Smith, a civilian rescue coordinator for the U.S. Coast Guard, said, “Randy was more likely wearing a life jacket and an auto-inflate life jacket, which gives everybody a little bit more hope that if they’re wearing life jackets.”
Despite more than 48 hours passing, crews continue to search aggressively, holding on to hope that Spivey and Billmaier can still be found and brought home. The search efforts are ongoing, with live updates expected from Fort Myers Beach.
Family members are also part of the Southwest Florida community for a large, coordinated volunteer search, which began early Sunday morning and continues on Monday.
In a message shared online, the family is calling on anyone with a boat capable of a 225-mile range to help.
The Coast Guard issued a new official search grid at 8 a.m., which is distributed to volunteers by text. Boats are departing from ports between Punta Gorda and Marco Island. Volunteers are asked to text message Paul at (239)634-3400 with the following information:
Departure port
Vessel name
Captain and first mate names and cell numbers
Vessel range
“Thank you for your help and prayers. Please pass this on,” the family said, expressing gratitude for the community’s support.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the active search area remains about 70 miles offshore, centered near 25-36N, 083-16W, spanning roughly 35 statute miles and reaching up to 5,000 feet in altitude.
A smaller cutter, multiple aircraft, and surface crews are involved. Air Force assets also assisted.
The Coast Guard advised all aircraft to maintain situational awareness and not to interfere with search-and-rescue crews.
They also urged monitoring of Channel 16 and reporting any important information to the U.S. Coast Guard.
If you have information, you can also contact the U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Pete watchstanders at 866-881-1392.
Watcherstanders maintain a continuous watch and direct coordination with partner agencies to deploy Coast Guard assets at a moment’s notice for emergent search and rescue cases.
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