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

[tick_tock]

But if it wasn't uprighted and inspected how do they know what items are missing? They reported shoes, T Shirts, life vests, engine cover, fishing rods, fishing buckets, another small box with fishing gear ... How would they know all this w/o uprighting it and a family member who knows what's usually in the boat looking over it?

Yes, they found items on/missing from the boat; I should have been more specific. I haven't heard anything regarding the technical condition of the mechanisms on the boat, only reports were about items missing. Surely a boat can be inspected further to give more clues than just saying the life jackets are missing. Long day for me.

 

[wendybtn]

I thought I read somewhere on an earlier link that Perry was his mom's only child?

 

[Sulamith]

I thought I read somewhere on an earlier link that Perry was his mom's only child?

mrsu mentioned it in post #468. No link however.

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

Yes, they found items on/missing from the boat; I should have been more specific. I haven't heard anything regarding the technical condition of the mechanisms on the boat, only reports were about items missing. Surely a boat can be inspected further to give more clues than just saying the life jackets are missing. Long day for me.

Maybe I'm missing something & forgive my bluntness but no "clues" are necessary.
Boys on a small boat in a bad storm + a notoriously dangerous inlet + capsized boat + no sight of them seen after extensive searches = one thing, sadly.


Common sense dictates that no "clues" are necessary. I think this is the time for some realism, IMO.

And this would be the time for learning, teaching, & mentoring about boater safety.

 

[stmarysmead]

This seems to have moved from a genuine rescue attempt to a PR campaign for the fundraising. On Twitter, constant appeals to celebrities to re-tweet new versions of posters and new "appeals"...continue. It is puzzling to say the least.

What actually is the point of funding air searches at this point? Has anyone ever been specific?

Do they really, truly think they are going to spot two healthy boys on a homemade raft eating sushi? Even the list of items from the boat are so commonplace...if a white boot washed up somewhere, what would that tell them? These "clues" would lead to...what?

A great deal of money is being raised and supposedly spent...to what sensible purpose?.

Maybe as long as the Hoopla continues, it's a diversion from facing the grief and loss. That's the only possible accomplishment served by these donations now. It's not about those two lost boys anymore IMO. Maybe that's why it has begun to trouble me so much.

I'd love to see the families take that half-million dollars and memorialize these boys by "paying it forward" in some fashion.

Is there ever any accounting afterward for how funds raised this way are actually used after they are dispersed?

 

[tricket]

I was just reading an article that said the unused funds will be used for future searches for others

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[tricket]

Also, I have done this too, but there have been a lot of assumptions that the boys were conscious after the boat capsized.

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[Elainera]

Yes, they found items on/missing from the boat; I should have been more specific. I haven't heard anything regarding the technical condition of the mechanisms on the boat, only reports were about items missing. Surely a boat can be inspected further to give more clues than just saying the life jackets are missing. Long day for me.

I understand. I was just confused because I thought surely the boat must have been towed, uprighted, and inspected long ago. Because as you say, it might have provided them with more clues/insight into what exactly happened which could have been helpful in the early stages of searching.

 

[Elainera]

This seems to have moved from a genuine rescue attempt to a PR campaign for the fundraising. On Twitter, constant appeals to celebrities to re-tweet new versions of posters and new "appeals"...continue. It is puzzling to say the least.

What actually is the point of funding air searches at this point? Has anyone ever been specific?

Do they really, truly think they are going to spot two healthy boys on a homemade raft eating sushi? Even the list of items from the boat are so commonplace...if a white boot washed up somewhere, what would that tell them? These "clues" would lead to...what?

A great deal of money is being raised and supposedly spent...to what sensible purpose?.

Maybe as long as the Hoopla continues, it's a diversion from facing the grief and loss. That's the only possible accomplishment served by these donations now. It's not about those two lost boys anymore IMO. Maybe that's why it has begun to trouble me so much.

I'd love to see the families take that half-million dollars and memorialize these boys by "paying it forward" in some fashion.

Is there ever any accounting afterward for how funds raised this way are actually used after they are dispersed?

I think the families just hope to find the bodies at this point.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

This seems to have moved from a genuine rescue attempt to a PR campaign for the fundraising. On Twitter, constant appeals to celebrities to re-tweet new versions of posters and new "appeals"...continue. It is puzzling to say the least.

What actually is the point of funding air searches at this point? Has anyone ever been specific?

Do they really, truly think they are going to spot two healthy boys on a homemade raft eating sushi? Even the list of items from the boat are so commonplace...if a white boot washed up somewhere, what would that tell them? These "clues" would lead to...what?

A great deal of money is being raised and supposedly spent...to what sensible purpose?.

Maybe as long as the Hoopla continues, it's a diversion from facing the grief and loss. That's the only possible accomplishment served by these donations now. It's not about those two lost boys anymore IMO. Maybe that's why it has begun to trouble me so much.

I'd love to see the families take that half-million dollars and memorialize these boys by "paying it forward" in some fashion.

Is there ever any accounting afterward for how funds raised this way are actually used after they are dispersed?

Maybe the families have gotten addicted to the attention and sympathy, and don't want it to end. They don't want to say "We have realized that Austin and Perry are no longer with us, and we will be stopping the fundraising". Maybe it allows them to not focus on the fact that their sons are dead. Right now, there is so much going on, I wonder how much time they have spent alone, just with their thoughts?

Okay let's say the family realizes that the boys are dead, but just want to recover their bodies. Is it right to tell the public that they are hopeful they are still alive in order to keep the money coming in from people who ~believe in miracles? Of course they are not forcing people to donate but is it taking advantage of people?

 

[Hiandmighty]

I understand. I was just confused because I thought surely the boat must have been towed, uprighted, and inspected long ago. Because as you say, it might have provided them with more clues/insight into what exactly happened which could have been helpful in the early stages of searching.

They know what happened though. They boys capsized in a storm and drowned. The CG already said no foul play.

No clues necessary. The end result is the same. Bad judgement, storm, cqpsize, drowning.

 

[Hiandmighty]

I think the families just hope to find the bodies at this point.

They know this will never happen.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

If they can't find a plane and 200+ bodies, how are they going to find two bodies?

 

[Hiandmighty]

I agree at this point the parents are trying to avoid having to accept reality and start grieving, and they have hundreds of thousands of people egging them on to find the boys.

It's unhealthy and not ultimately helpful to the parents....

 

[tick_tock]

I was just reading an article that said the unused funds will be used for future searches for others

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If they're truly spending 100k per day on this search I don't think there will be a surplus. I read re: that all the searchers have to do is chime in and say I spent such and such and they will be fairly quickly reimbursed.

 

[tick_tock]

Maybe I'm missing something & forgive my bluntness but no "clues" are necessary.
Boys on a small boat in a bad storm + a notoriously dangerous inlet + capsized boat + no sight of them seen after extensive searches = one thing, sadly.


Common sense dictates that no "clues" are necessary. I think this is the time for some realism, IMO.

Maybe your "bluntness" can tell me how I'm being unrealistic, because you're assuming a lot here.

 

[Koa]

At this point in time, I'm not sure if getting a body back will be a good thing, the ocean would not have been kind to it. It might be better to remember them as the kids in those pictures and for that spark of life that drew them to the ocean. They died on an adventure of their making in the ocean they loved. Now they will be forever in that ocean.

 

[Darcyline]

Feel terrible for the families. I don't even like my dad sailing by himself or just with a friend. It just seems so scary and like so many things can go wrong on the water.
I am assuming even finding a body would be near impossible at this point?

 

[tick_tock]

I thought I read somewhere on an earlier link that Perry was his mom's only child?

Black, who called the Coast Guard her “ray of light,” said Austin has two younger brothers, ages 10 and 2 1/2, who are longing for his safe return, she said. Fishing is a way for the family to spend time together.

Perry, who just graduated from Jupiter Middle School, loves to fish, skateboard, play baseball and go out with his friends, Cohen said. He’s diligent about checking in with her, even when he’s at the mall.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/n...continues-search-for-missing-teens-nea/nm6b3/

On the social media accounts, there are photos and comments on Austin and his siblings, but for Perry there are only photos and comments on him. I've taken this to mean that there are no siblings.

 

[Elainera]

They know what happened though. They boys capsized in a storm and drowned. The CG already said no foul play.

No clues necessary. The end result is the same. Bad judgement, storm, cqpsize, drowning.

Please don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say nor indicate I believed in 'foul play'. I said in the early stages of searching the boat might have been helpful. At that point it was not assumed they drowned, it was assumed they are drifting. I don't know how these boats are on deck, are there compartments to store things, for example. I thought the family and searchers would have been interested to go through it to get an idea what if anything the boys might have with them.