The search for the two men who disappeared from a boat in the middle of the Gulf has now become a FBI missing persons investigation.
After four days missing and three full days of searching, Randall Spivey, 57, and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, 33, were not found by the numerous volunteers who assisted the U.S. Coast Guard’s search mission by both sea and air.
The search radius covered approximately 6,700 square miles, which is about the size of the state of Connecticut.
Volunteers from all over the Southwest United States joined the search mission, starting on Saturday (Dec. 20) and continuing through Monday, Dec. 22.
The United Cajun Navy, a volunteer-led nonprofit that specializes in life-saving rescue operations, also deployed an aircraft 100 miles west of Naples on Monday around 11 a.m.
The Coast Guard ultimately decided to suspend its active search efforts after carefully considering all the factors making this case, said Capt. Corrie Sergent, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg in a press release by the USCG.
“There is no harder decision than suspending a search. I am incredibly grateful for the crews, partners, and volunteers across this community who executed this massive search with the utmost professionalism, persistence, and compassion. We offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of Mr. Spivey and Mr. Billmaier during this extremely difficult time,” Sergent said.
The FBI has now taken the case, classified as a missing person case, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Missing boaters in Gulf: timeline
Spivey and Billmaier embarked on a fishing trip early morning on Friday, Dec. 19. They were supposed to come back that same evening but by 7:30, neither of their wives had heard back from them.
This prompted a call to the Coast Guard, and at 11 p.m., a helicopter had been deployed in search of the men.
Just over two hours later, the families were notified that Spivey and Billmaier’s boat was found −a 42-foot Freeman boat named “Unstopp-A-Bull” −about 70 miles off the coast of Naples. The engine was still running.
However, the men were nowhere to be found.
There were two life jackets missing from the boat, which made family members think Spivey and Billmaier could be wearing them.
The search efforts continued into the weekend as volunteers across Florida and surrounding states provided support.
By Monday night, Dec. 22, the Coast Guard was compelled to halt its search.
“While this is heartbreaking, Brandon and Randy would never want anyone else to put their life in danger, and we know they would want this decision to be respected,” Deborah Billmaier, wife of Brandon Billmaier, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday night.
Who were they?
Spivey was a prominent Fort Myers personal injury attorney. He is the founder of Spivey Law Firm, where his wife Tricia Spivey is also a personal injury lawyer.
“He’s an amazing, amazing man and he’s dedicated his life to helping other people as an attorney and helping them in their time of need. And that’s why it’s so touching that many people are now stepping up to find him,” Tricia Spivey told The News-Press on Saturday, Dec. 20.
She said that Spivey and his nephew loved to fish, and her husband had been fishing for over 30 years.
One poster on Facebook, Andrew Abel, recalled Randy” as a “dear friend and mentor.”
“I will truly never forget how he was there for me whenever I needed and without asking. Randy would drop everything he was doing to help. Always. Randy championed his family and friends and I’m forever grateful that he championed me and has allowed me to be a part of his family too,” Abel wrote on Monday night.
Another poster, Cristina M. Puccio, wrote “Randy has been a beacon of kindness and warmth in my life for many years, and I feel truly fortunate to have known him.”
Like his uncle, Billmaier was also a personal injury lawyer in Boca Raton with the Shiner Law Group.
A statement by Shiner Law Group says: “On behalf of everyone at Shiner Law Group, we are deeply saddened by the disappearance of Brandon and his uncle, Randy. Brandon is a valued member of our firm and someone we care about tremendously, both as a colleague and as our friend. Brandon is an exceptional person and a great lawyer, and we are heartbroken.”
Billmaier grew up in Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Toledo. Beyond fishing, he likes to play pickleball and travel.
Billmaier also got married last year. Traveling is something that the couple did a lot of together. On social media, Deborah Billmaier shared that they’ve travelled to more than 30 countries.
“Brandon is my best friend, my husband and my greatest love. Every day he showed me what true, unconditional love looks like. We had so many dreams and plans, and I am forever grateful for the five most beautiful years we shared together,” Deborah Billmaier wrote on her social media accounts.
One commenter, Megan Schlett, said: “Brandon was supposed to be the Best Man in our wedding, and he will forever hold that title. There is no one more worthy of that for Sebastian. Brandon was a like a brother to Sebastian and we all love Brandon deeply.”
Another commenter, Donna Antonelli, wrote: “Brandon was humble, genuine, sweet, always had a positive attitude and would always help a fellow attorney. He was a true gentlemen which is so very rare these days. He will be missed by me tremendously.”