ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The families of the missing Brunswick boaters are feeling a renewed sense of hope Sunday night after a piece of the boat was found off the coast of St. Augustine.
Kim Jones and Chris Barlow, the parents of Tyler Barlow, confirmed the fish bin from the boat used by the missing men was found 18 miles northeast of the St. Augustine inlet. A good Samaritan radioed in the bin and its coordinates earlier in the day.
“So, so, so hopeful that our boys are out there and that we’re so close to rescuing, and finding them and God bringing them home," said Jones.
30 full days without a single trace of the Carol Anne since it was last spotted October 19th.
The Coast Guard searched more than 90,000 square miles from North Carolina down to St. Augustine over two weeks without finding any sign of the boat or the three men lost at sea.
Jones and Barlow have a reason to be hopeful their son Tyler could be found soon - after a boater found what is possibly the ship’s bait box.
“When they retrieved the fish box, there was no growth or algae of any kind on it. So, chances are it hasn’t been in the water very long," said Barlow.
Dalton Conway, Kaleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow launched for a fishing spot 80 miles off the coast of Brunswick October 14th.
Based on that spot, the Coast Guard believed the current would’ve taken them North, so they searched as far up as the Carolinas.
However, a few weeks into the search, Tyler’s parents learned the three fishermen got a tip on their way to the spot.
“This other boat captain was saying, ‘Hey, I just caught all the fish I can legally keep in this spot. This is where you guys need to go,'" said Barlow.
Tyler’s parents passed that bit of info on to the Coast Guard, and they said it totally changed the trajectory of the search.
“The highest probability area on the Coast Guard’s search pattern they provided, is where this showed up at today," said Barlow.
They’re hoping it’s enough to reignite the Coast Guard’s search, and they’re asking anyone on or off the coast of St. Augustine to keep their eyes peeled.
“The more eyes we can get out there looking at this point, the better off their chances of being found are," said Barlow.
The Coast Guard sent a vessel to search the area Sunday evening. They also sent an alert to other boaters to keep an eye out for any other signs of the missing boat.
The Coast Guard's full response to the discovery of the bait box:
A bait box was located by a good Samaritan off St. Augustine that matched the description of one from the fishing vessel Carol Ann based on images. Coast Guard Station Mayport launched a response boat crew to search the area for any other debris or signs of distress. The Coast Guard will reevaluate reopening the search after searches of the area have been completed and after evaluating all relevant information. The urgent marine information broadcast is to alert mariners of where the debris was located and to urge mariners in the area to keep a sharp lookout for any signs of distress.
Jones and Barlow are also asking for help to search the area. They are hoping the Coast Guard will send an aircraft to search Monday morning. They are also working on finding a diver to search the water.
Tyler Barlow, Dalton Conway and Caleb Wilkinson were last seen leaving for a fishing trip on Oct. 14. Volunteers up and down the east coast have assisted in search efforts over the last month. A GoFundMe was set up to help the families pay for search efforts.
