PALM COAST, Fla. — A part of the lid of a fish bin belonging to the three missing Brunswick boaters who disappeared in mid-October, was found in Flagler County Wednesday after the discovery of the lid was found in Volusia County on Saturday.
The families of the boaters say that the part of the lid was found on Jungle Hut Beach in Palm Coast, according to a Facebook post. On Saturday, the position of the the lid found was 29-20.892N 081-03.987W on Ormond Beach.
“Every additional thing that we find, you know, helps us for this tremendously large puzzle together that still has way more missing pieces than those actual you know, pieces deserve answers," Chris Barlow, father of one of the missing boaters, said.
Tyler Barlow, Dalton Conway and Caleb Wilkinson left the Mary Ross Waterfront Park in Brunswick on Oct. 14 for a fishing trip. Aboard a 31-foot boat named the 'Carol Ann,' they were supposed to return from the trip on Oct. 18, but never did.
A fish bin belonging to the boaters was found 18 miles north of the St. Augustine Inlet on Nov. 19 by a Good Samaritan who radioed in the bin and its coordinates. A week and a half later on Nov. 29, the families of the boaters called off their search for the men after the Coast Guard searched more than 20,000 square miles of open ocean for the Carol Ann.
While various pieces of a fishing bin have washed ashore, the boat itself and the life raft, are still missing.
“It's very odd to me that that we haven't found the life raft. So you know, we need to either, you know, find that or find the boat or something to answer, did the lifeboat deploy?" Chris Barlow said.
The families are encouraging people to take and share pictures of any items they may find on beaches from St. Augustine to Cape Canaveral to aid in the relentless search for the boaters.
“I think all of the families would love to, you know, obviously, find our boys alive and well but, you know, even having some kind of answers to give myself and the other family members closure, you know, would also be a great help. Because, just living with that doubt everyday or the unknown is a really, really huge struggle," Barlow said.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says they are "currently working with the US Coast Guard and family members of the missing boaters," but no details have been released regarding whether or not the new findings would kickstart a new search.