Additional Coverage:
- Two attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them (foxnews.com)
Fort Myers, FL – A desperate search is underway off the coast of Florida for two attorneys who vanished during a routine fishing trip, leaving family members heartbroken and authorities baffled. Randall Spivey, 57, and his 33-year-old nephew, Brandon Billmaier, departed from Fort Myers on Friday, December 19, aboard a 42-foot Freeman fishing boat, intending to return the same day.
Concern escalated when the men failed to return as planned. Deborah Billmaier, Brandon’s wife, contacted the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), initiating an immediate emergency response with aircraft dispatched to search the Gulf of Mexico late Friday night.
“I am heartbroken posting this,” Deborah shared in an Instagram post. “My husband, Brandon, went out fishing yesterday with his uncle off the coast of Fort Myers. They left early in the morning on Friday, Dec. 19 and were meant to come back that afternoon.”
The search intensified when, in the early hours of Sunday, December 20, the men’s boat was discovered adrift and empty approximately 70 miles offshore. A spokesperson for the U.S.
Coast Guard Southeast District confirmed that the boat was still running when found. “The boat was in gear,” stated Riley Perkofski.
“We deployed a swimmer, and then the swimmer deployed the vessel’s anchor so that it wouldn’t keep moving.” Authorities also noted that the boat’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was still onboard.
Deborah Billmaier continues to implore the public for assistance. “The helicopter has continued searching throughout the night.
As the sun rises, we are looking for additional help in the search efforts. If you or someone you know can help, please reach out to us,” she wrote.
“If you cannot, please keep them in your prayers as we continue to have faith that we will find them.”
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) are conducting coordinated air and sea searches across the Gulf of Mexico.
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding Spivey and Billmaier’s whereabouts to contact the LCSO at 239-477-1000 or 911. Anonymous tips can also be provided to SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.
Randall Spivey, described as 6’1″ and 245 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing khaki pants and a dark-colored shirt. Brandon Billmaier is 6’2″, 250 pounds, with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes.