Coast Guard finds body of man reported missing off Venice

Amy Gehrt, Tampa Bay Times
·1 min read

The Coast Guard has called off the search for a 69-year-old man who was reported missing Tuesday night.

A crew member aboard the fishing vessel High Voltage called a dock manager in Madeira Beach to report that they believed Ricky Baker had fallen overboard about 46 miles from the shore of Venice around 8 p.m., the Coast Guard said in a news release Wednesday night.

The dock manager notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at 9 p.m. and a search got underway, the agency said.

Boats and a helicopter searched throughout the night, the Coast Guard said in a tweet.

Crews searched for about 14 hours, covering around 100 square miles, before Baker’s body was located and recovered, the release said.

“Our condolences go to Mr. Baker’s family and friends,” said Shawn Lansing, deputy commander for Sector St. Petersburg. “We are relieved to provide some closure to his loved ones.”

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.