A body recovered by Coast Guard officials has been identified by a family member as one of the three missing teens who were last seen on Sunday sailing off Florida's Gulf Coast.
The aunt of the missing teens, Sadie Dilts, said in an exclusive interview with WTVJ that the body found was that of 17-year-old Rebecca Kimberly. Dilts told WTVJ via telephone that Rebecca's body was located about 44 miles off shore wearing a life vest.
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The body was recovered Wednesday afternoon in a debris field in the Gulf of Mexico, but has not been officially identified by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard started its search for the missing Sarasota family on Tuesday, after a brother of Ace Kimberly, father of the three missing teenagers, called and said they did not arrive to Fort Myers to repair their sailboat.
The brother said he was concerned after Ace called him around 3 p.m. Sunday to tell him he was in the middle of 6-foot seas and thunderstorms about 37 miles off shore near Englewood.
The National Weather Service in Tampa was cautioning boaters Sunday about increasing northeast winds because of a weak cold front pushing through Central Florida, but forecasters stopped short of issuing a small craft advisory.
About 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Coast Guard recovered debris about 33 miles off the coast of Sanibel Island which included a propane tank, a tarp, four water bottles tied together, tennis shoes and six life jackets.
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Two kayaks that the family was believed to be towing were also found near the debris field on Wednesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The brother of Ace Kimberly later confirmed that the debris found belonged to the missing sailboat.
The incident comes close to the anniversary of the missing Tequesta teens, Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, who were lost at sea in July 2015 after leaving the Jupiter inlet to go fishing in the Atlantic.
Both families of the missing teens showed their support for the Kimberly family Wednesday by releasing a statement on Facebook that said, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, their loved ones and the dedicated men and woman of the United States Coast Guard and Law Enforcement who are conducting the SAR (search and rescue) efforts.”
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