BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The families of the three missing Brunswick boaters suspended the search for the men Tuesday after the three went missing on a fishing trip 80 miles off the coast of Brunswick in mid-October, according to a Facebook post.
Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow left the Mary Ross Waterfront Park in Brunswick on Saturday, Oct. 14. The men left for the fishing trip aboard a 31-foot boat named the 'Carol Ann' and were supposed to return from the trip on Oct. 18, but never did.
"We are suspending our active search effort as we have exhausted every lead we currently have, although we have found numerous boat wrecks and debris none have been linked to the Carol Ann," the post reads in part.
The Coast Guard suspended their search for the boaters on Oct. 26 after they searched 90,000 miles from Massachusetts to Florida. However, the families of the three men missing and hundreds of volunteers, worked tirelessly and continued the search on the ground, in the sea and in the air. The 'Carol Ann Buoy Spotters' Facebook page was created for anyone to post photos from buoy cameras along the East Coast that could give clues to the boaters' whereabouts.
On Nov. 19, a fishing bin from the boat was discovered about 16 miles off the shore of St. Augustine. A Coast Guard vessel searched the area that day after the fish bin was found but did not find anything conclusive.
Additionally, a new photo emerged on Nov. 20 on Facebook, showing a pink mass in the Atlantic Ocean which drew several volunteers to the shores of Crescent Beach, sparking renewed hope. The Cajun Navy, a volunteer group which assists in search-and-rescue efforts, took the photo.
The photo was taken somewhere between Matanzas Inlet and Ocean Side South to Flagler Beach.
The families of the boaters called the photo a "possible life raft." The Coast Guard was notified of the photo and spoke to the pilot who took it. On Nov. 21, the Coast Guard told First Coast News the object seen in the photo could not be bigger than a life vest. The object was ultimately not confirmed to have a connection to the Carol Ann.
The families' full Facebook post can be read below:
"It is with great sadness that we are informing everyone that the helicopter that landed at 4:38 P.M. today will be our last flight unless we receive new information. We are suspending our active search effort as we have exhausted every lead we currently have, although we have found numerous boat wrecks and debris none have been linked to the Carol Ann
It has now been 45 days since the boys left the dock in Brunswick, Georgia. All family members and I do hold onto hope that we will be presented with a miracle as we have put this in God’s hands now and pray that he returns Tyler, Caleb and Dalton home to us safely. We do ask everyone, as they resume their normal daily lives, to keep a lookout when they are visiting beaches or boating for anything that may help us put the remaining pieces of this horrific puzzle together.
We would like to thank all the amazing and unwavering volunteers, those who prayed continuously for us and the boys, for the donations, and all those who have supplied us with planes and helicopters to make our search possible. We know this was a long and exhausting search and all of you have been on the proverbial roller coaster ride with us and supported us as if we were your own family. We will never be able to express how grateful we truly are. If there is ever any way, we can possibly repay any of you, we will be there for you.
We are all so very proud of our boys, they united our community and beyond and have shown us what it truly means to love others.
The last time I saw Tyler I never imagined that it could possibly be the last time I would see him, instead of handing him my personal locator beacon and telling him to be safe I would have begged him not to go. Leading the search for Tyler, Dalton and Caleb has been the hardest thing we have ever done in our lives and something no parent should ever have to do. In the coming months we will continue our motto #wontstop by pushing for legislative changes that need to be made to decrease the chances of this happening to anyone in the future. #Carolann #daltonconway #tylerbarlow #calebwilkinson #bringourboyshome"
**Editors note: The below video forecast is from Tuesday, Nov. 21.**