4 missing boaters found near Sanibel Island Lighthouse

Published: Updated:
Jake Emerson / WINK

CAPE CORAL, Fla. Four missing boaters were found safe Friday morning near the Sanibel Island Lighthouse, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A 19-foot Sea Ray boat was reported missing at 3:30 a.m. Friday. Crews began searching around 4:30 a.m. along with police, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Iona-McGregor Fire Department.

The Coast Guard said the four boaters ate at Doc Ford’s on Fort Myers Beach before leaving to drop off a member of the group at the Sandpiper Gulf Resort before heading back to the Horton Park Boat Ramp near the Cape Coral Bridge on the Caloosahatchee River.

The boaters, Sam and Elaine Briesbois, along with two others, allegedly ran out of gas and had no way to communicate, so they anchored for the night, officials believe.

 

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.