ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Coast Guard suspended its search Wednesday for a 37-year-old man reported overdue from a fishing trip aboard a 12-foot boat, which reportedly began Saturday morning near Shell Island, Florida.
Joseph Johns, 44, the owner of the vessel, was located deceased by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission crew in Waccasassa Bay, north of Yankeetown, Florida Sunday.
Rescue crews searched for Daniel Tingley, 37, for a total of approximately 20 hours saturating approximately 156 square nautical miles.
Johns' spouse contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Yankeetown at approximately 12:45 p.m., Sunday and reported the two missing men were believed to be fishing approximately four miles south of Shell Island. She stated the men departed from a boat ramp on State Rd. 40 near Yankeetown at 7 a.m., Saturday after they did not returned as expected.
A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew located the capsized boat at approximately 10 p.m. Sunday.
A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater, a 20-foot Special Purpose Craft — Shallow Water crew from Coast Guard Station Yankeetown, and crews from FWC assisted in the search for Tingley.