Update: Coast Guard suspends search for missing Carolina Beach man
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for Joseph Johnson, a Carolina Beach resident last seen leaving Federal Point Yacht Club on his fishing boat over a week ago.
According to a Monday night news release from the Coast Guard, five vessels searched nearly 7,500 square miles over 53 hours for 44-year-old Johnson, who was reported missing Saturday by a friend after he did not arrive as scheduled for prearranged fishing plans.
"The decision to suspend a search is made after careful consideration of all aspects of a case," said Cmdr. Corrie Sergent, the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for this case, in the release. "Our sincere thoughts go out to the family and friends of the individual involved in this case."
Petty Officer 1st Class Tara Molle-Carr of the U.S. Coast Guard said the decision to suspend a search is typically made when no new information indicating the missing person's potential location has been yielded by an ongoing search. As of Tuesday morning, Molle-Carr said, Johnson has not been located and the Coast Guard has no new leads.
Johnson was last seen around 11 a.m. on Nov. 22 leaving Federal Point Yacht Club on his 19-foot SeaCraft Center Console fishing boat, the release said. The department described Johnson as a 6-foot-2, 220-pound white male with strawberry blonde hair.
According to the release, Johnson is known to frequent the Frying Pan Shoals area while fishing.
As of Tuesday morning, the department has not released any additional information regarding the search for Johnson.
Anyone with information regarding Johnson’s whereabouts is asked to contact 911 or the department directly at 910-458-2540.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Search suspended for Carolina Beach boater last seen one week ago
