Family Missing at Sea: Coast Guard Calls Off Search in California - A Possible Hoax (VIDEO)
A family reported missing at sea sparked a frantic search from the coastguard on Sunday, however, after days and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent conducting the extensive search, the U.S. Coast Guard has reported that the incident is "possibly a hoax."
A family consisting of two adults and two children were thought to have been lost at sea in a 29 foot sail boat off the coast of California since Sunday. However, despite days of searching, rescue workers have been unable to find any clues to the missing family, and Cmdr. Don Montoro said Tuesday that they were now calling off the search.
Rescue workers have been conducting a search off the coast near San Francisco, after a family of four were reported on a sail boat by distress calls.
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The family consisted of a couple and their four year old child, as well as the young child's cousin, who was thought to be younger than eight years old, according to reports.
The search was sparked on Sunday afternoon when the U.S. Coast Guard received a radio distress call that stated, "This is the Charm Blow, we are abandoning ship."
The emergency plea explained that the boat had begun to take on water and was sinking. The man who issued the message also claimed that the electronics were failing on board the boat.
At the time of the distress call it was believed that the sail boat was about 65 miles from Pillar Point, south of San Francisco, according to The Associated Press.
However, despite a number of emergency aircraft and vessels carrying out an extensive search over the past few days, nothing has been found. The U.S. Coast Guard has now called off the search believing it to be a possible hoax.
Here is a previous video news report into the incident:
