Lee sheriff's office joins search for missing boaters in Venice
The Lee County Sheriff's Office is assisting the U.S. Coast Guard and others in the search for four boaters who went missing Saturday night in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a series of pictures posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Lee County Sheriff's Office has at least two units out at sea.
Multiple agencies have searched over 4,600 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico for the boaters, who left for a boating trip from Venice Inlet on Saturday, Feb. 17, aboard a 25-foot center console boat.
The U.S. Coast Guard posted on X, just after 10 a.m. Monday that the search remained active.
The men left from the Marina Park Boat Ramp, near the Historic Venice Train Depot, around 8 a.m. Saturday, according to the Venice Police Department.
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Family members contacted police Sunday morning. Officers found the men's vehicle and boat trailer still at the park.
Authorities have identified the missing boaters as Angel Hernandez Munoz, 38, of North Port; Ruben Mora, Sr., 54, of Port Charlotte; Julio Cesar Cordero Briones, 37, of North Port; and Vargas Parra, 35, of North Port.
The boat is a 1995 23-foot white SportCraft, registration # FL9937HC, reports indicate.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office joins forces with the the Venice Police Department's Marine Patrol; the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office; the Sarasota Police Department; the Manatee County Sheriff's Office; and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The search stretches from Sarasota County south into Collier County.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching areas nine miles offshore and beyond, Venice Police Department said, using multiple boats and aircraft.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Lee sheriff's office joins search for 4 missing Venice boaters
