FL FL - Austin Stephanos & Perry Cohen, both 14, Jupiter, 24 July 2015 - #1

[Elainera]

I was reading some of the recent posts on the Facebook page. Lots of prayers the boys will be found ....don't give up hope , people searching all along the east coast , 10,000 photos were taken from low flying planes of the shoreline and water from Florida to SC and are now being reviewed for signs of the boys or debris.

They can't possibly believe the boys have survived for 13 days , can they ? I understand and sympathize with the family not wanting to give up hope or continuing to search to be able to bring the boys home for burial. But surely reality is going to sink in soon, isn't it ? The determination of the Facebook followers is reaching a point of cruelty to keep saying "don't give up hope, they are out there we just have to find them " .

I think there is a deep psychological need at work here - people want to witness a miracle happening. It would give them hope for their own lives. At one point it will all turn sour though, it probably already is for many, that's why pirate stories and successful island rescues are now dreamed up. People are scared to let go of this story, because then what? Then they will have to return to their own little lives without the comforting reassurance that 'miracles really do happen'.

 

[NolaDoc]

That article helped to explain things a bit more clearly. Thanks for posting it.

 

[FindingTheMissing]

It's already happening. Pirate conspiracies started this week.

It's insane the stuff that one person can say on social media and then a whole group runs with it. I don't usually pay much attention to groups or pages unless it's a page that was set up by a family member/close friend for updates and for help to share flyers. I did however bookmark that group page that was shared here and read a few things the day before yesterday I think. I saw the post alluding to pirates but I also saw a post referring to something about aliens, and one about human trafficking. Just crazy that folks might believe one of these things is what happened to the boys. Nevermind that there was a storm and they were out in it on the ocean.

 

[wgram]

It's insane the stuff that one person can say on social media and then a whole group runs with it. I don't usually pay much attention to groups or pages unless it's a page that was set up by a family member/close friend for updates and for help to share flyers. I did however bookmark that group page that was shared here and read a few things the day before yesterday I think. I saw the post alluding to pirates but I also saw a post referring to something about aliens, and one about human trafficking. Just crazy that folks might believe one of these things is what happened to the boys. Nevermind that there was a storm and they were out in it on the ocean.

Wow, I hadn't seen all that. Of course I am like you I don't follow all those pages. I am not even sure which pages you are referring to. But thats okay. I don't care to. I think that at this point there's going to be a lot of "stories". I agree with you.. the families are in denial. Sad to say

 

[eileenhawkeye]

At what point do we stop being sympathetic to the supporters and just refer to them as conspiracy theorists and enablers?

 

[GutInstinct]

Hypothetically speaking, I'd like to know how much money, if any, the families have put out of their own pockets towards the search. These are not low-income or even middle income families. You've got neighbor Joe Namath offering a $100,000 reward right off the bat for their safe return, you've got John Travolta providing free use of one of his private planes to assist with the search, you've got nearly $500,000 raise via G.F.M. and now further donations will be going to a bank acct.

I hate to say it but as someone who's been on WS for a few years now, following heartbreaking cases of missing children and loved ones, I find it somewhat disheartening that some cases seem to get immediate national attention and money pouring in, celebs willing to help.....and a half million dollars get raised in a week.......yet other cases, often times the missing children/parents/families are of very meager financial status and their loved one's case gets little to no air time, little to no social media interest, few if any financial donations and that just really bothers me.

`100 Thanks for your post LayzeeDayzee. If only the same $ for Lonzie, for Crystal Rogers' five children, for Madyson's mother, etc.

 

[GutInstinct]

Gut Instinct, I grew up spending every summer on Long Beach Island...Beach Haven to be exact. My parents were originally from Nova Scotia (one of the Canadian Maritime Provinces) and my Dad was an avid fisherman. His pride and joy was his Boston Whaler and his lifelong friends were other men who loved to fish and owned boats, small and large. This tragedy has revived many memories for me.

My Dad drummed into us constantly that we must have "respect for the sea." Though he fished on friends' boats on the ocean side of the island, we never left Barnegat Bay in his boat. Even then, my sisters and I never set foot in that boat without our life jackets on and secure.

He may have seemed over cautious to some but he had stories of growing up among people whose livelihoods took them out on the ocean with none of the advances we have today. They had love of the ocean, which essentially fed their families...but they also had a healthy "fear." He would shake his head over the tourists that would come down to LBI in the summer, rent a small boat, fill a cooler with beer and head out around the island into the Atlantic. Every summer, there would be a few that ran into very serious trouble and sadly, there would be some over the years...that never came back. My Father would shake his head and remind us...you have to respect the sea.

Th ocean is not Disneyland, a fake controlled environment where thrills and entertainment are regulated and inspected for our safety. Maybe, today, parents shy away from telling the sad, harrowing or even tragic stories of the sea. Maybe they prefer not to frighten their children. If so, I think they do them a disservice. The grace and beauty of the Salt Life has to be balanced by the gravity of possible consequences.

The image of these boys heading out of the inlet while the bigger boats headed in ahead of the storm indicates to me that for all of their life long experiences in and around boats, that "respect for the sea" somehow was tragically lacking.

I hope their legacy can now be that kind of teaching moment for others.

Thank you for sharing your lovely post. Nice to meet you stmarysmead!

 

[Kateyes]

Welcome, stmarysmead! Your post is excellent. I agree that respect for the sea was missing. So much emphasis was placed on the boys great boating skills, but even the most skilled boater in the world can be lost at sea during a storm. What bothered me most, from day one, was the report of the fishermen coming in because of the storm who saw the boys just going out. Young people have such a sense of immortality, and combined with the boys confidence, it made for a perfect storm of tragedy. (sorry for the pun). I agree with stmarysmead: the sea must be respected, and its not only ok to teach kids the bad things that can happen at sea, but absolutely necessary - even if it scares them. The reality is these boys did not survive the storm and the capsizing of their boat. My sympathy goes to the parents, families and friends of these boys. I hope the parents get some support through grief counseling, and maybe through a support group of parents who have lost children through accidents.

 

[wgram]

Welcome, stmarysmead! Your post is excellent. I agree that respect for the sea was missing. So much emphasis was placed on the boys great boating skills, but even the most skilled boater in the world can be lost at sea during a storm. What bothered me most, from day one, was the report of the fishermen coming in because of the storm who saw the boys just going out. Young people have such a sense of immortality, and combined with the boys confidence, it made for a perfect storm of tragedy. (sorry for the pun). I agree with stmarysmead: the sea must be respected, and its not only ok to teach kids the bad things that can happen at sea, but absolutely necessary - even if it scares them. The reality is these boys did not survive the storm and the capsizing of their boat. My sympathy goes to the parents, families and friends of these boys. I hope the parents get some support through grief counseling, and maybe through a support group of parents who have lost children through accidents.

Very good post! I just wished that some of those people seeing them go out would have spoke to them somehow and let them know that they were in extreme danger. Were their parents working? I would have hoped that someone would have checked the forecast and put a halt to their outing. I am sure they are thinking the same now so I am not bashing them. I just really hate this has happened to these two children. They are 14 but they are still children in my book. I am sorry for the families loss.

 

[Darcyline]

I feel like this happens whenever a body isn't found and it is always super sad to me. Some people/families will hold onto hope forever if they don't have concrete proof that someone is dead. I understand that impulse of course, but in some ways it makes it so people never move on. Move on sounds harsh, but I have read about cases where entire families were torn apart or lives torn apart all over the hope that maybe their loved one was a victim of sex trafficking or taken by pirates or ran off to South America or has amnesia and is in a hospital somewhere rather than the statistical likelihood that the loved one is deceased.
Anyway, depressing stuff. I am praying every day that this family and their friends find peace, that they know the boys died doing something they love, and that they are probably in an ocean fishing in heaven right now.

 

[sonjay]

I feel like this happens whenever a body isn't found and it is always super sad to me. Some people/families will hold onto hope forever if they don't have concrete proof that someone is dead. I understand that impulse of course, but in some ways it makes it so people never move on. Move on sounds harsh, but I have read about cases where entire families were torn apart or lives torn apart all over the hope that maybe their loved one was a victim of sex trafficking or taken by pirates or ran off to South America or has amnesia and is in a hospital somewhere rather than the statistical likelihood that the loved one is deceased.
Anyway, depressing stuff. I am praying every day that this family and their friends find peace, that they know the boys died doing something they love, and that they are probably in an ocean fishing in heaven right now.

Yes. I totally understand how families can actually be relieved when a body is found. Sometimes people talk about "closure" as if it's hardly more than period at the end of a sentence, but knowing, for sure, that your loved one is deceased allows you to put away forever all of those what-ifs that are so tempting.

For the parents' sakes, I hope they find the boys' bodies. I think the likelihood that they will gets more remote with each passing day.

 

[ZL27]

Very good post! I just wished that some of those people seeing them go out would have spoke to them somehow and let them know that they were in extreme danger.

Snipped by me.

I have seen similar thoughts from others. I think it is important to point out that the Jupiter Inlet is extremely dangerous. You can't even break your focus to talk to someone on your own boat. Forget trying to maneuver your boat to talk to someone going in the opposite direction. It is impossible.

There is a reason it is designated as unnavigable by the CG.

 

[sonjay]

Snipped by me.

I have seen similar thoughts from others. I think it is important to point out that the Jupiter Inlet is extremely dangerous. You can't even break your focus to talk to someone on your own boat. Forget trying to maneuver your boat to talk to someone going in the opposite direction. It is impossible.

There is a reason it is designated as unnavigable by the CG.

Conspicuously absent among the things listed that were on the boat is a marine VHF radio. Those things are so stupid cheap that it's crazy not to have one if you're going anywhere that's the least bit dangerous.

If the boys had had a VHF on board, someone could possibly have hailed them on the radio when they were seen heading out of the inlet. They could have had it set to broadcast weather alerts so they weren't taken by surprise by bad weather. They could have called for help, even in locations where their phones wouldn't work. Even if they were "good boys" who never took the boat anywhere they weren't allowed to, they should have had a radio. An inexpensive handheld radio could have been purchased for less than what they spent on fuel that day.

 

[ZL27]

I have been ranting myself about that.

 

[stmarysmead]

Has it ever been confirmed that, as the storm engulfed them, the boys texted or contacted friends through Snapchat, saying "We're f^€led?" That would indicate they both had the means and were within range to contact someone for help.

In that situation, if you have the opportunity for one quick phone call, MAKE IT MATTER!

But maybe this is just a rumor. But if not, it certainly undermines the position that these boys were mature enough, sea-smart and savvy enough to be operating that boat alone.

 

[Eileen730]

Im sorry Kids think they are INVINCIBLE and are sure that nothing will happen to them.
Sadly something did!

Luckly we don't hear of this that often we hear more of our kids dying in Automobiles by Drunk drivers or texting or speeding.

Im a firm believer in when your numbers up your number is up.
This was their time. Nothing else was writen in their life story.
At least they had each other and were not alone.
Destiny!

 

[R.U.Kidding!]

At what point do we stop being sympathetic to the supporters and just refer to them as conspiracy theorists and enablers?

Ya know as soon as the "Aliens" make an appearance in the consciousness of the people, I say we have already gone past the point of reason! For me that was after 7 days--for the parents that day may never come....and that's ok.

I sincerely believe Perry and Austin are already HOME in the arms of their Spiritual Father !

 

[IndianSummer]

I

Snipped by me.

I have seen similar thoughts from others. I think it is important to point out that the Jupiter Inlet is extremely dangerous. You can't even break your focus to talk to someone on your own boat. Forget trying to maneuver your boat to talk to someone going in the opposite direction. It is impossible.

There is a reason it is designated as unnavigable by the CG.

Wow.
I watched some youtubes boaters have posted of that Inlet.
It looks so fast & dangerous.

forgive if post previously...
it's the video capture of possibly the boys leaving the inlet
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ofnyug3oCuo


JMO

 

[Madeleine74]

I say it will take up to 6 months for people to finally believe maybe these kids are not sitting on an Island with Gilligan & the Skipper, making coconut phones with the Professor.

 

[Eileen730]

I say it will take up to 6 months for people to finally believe maybe these kids are not sitting on an Island with Gilligan & the Skipper, making coconut phones with the Professor.

That is actually a very nice picture u just painted.