FORT MYERS, FL – The FBI has assumed control of the investigation into the disappearance of two Florida attorneys whose fishing boat was found running and empty approximately 100 miles off the coast of Fort Myers in the Gulf of Mexico.
Randall Spivey, 57, and Brandon Billmaier, 33, an uncle and nephew who both practice law, vanished over the weekend during a recreational fishing trip aboard their 42-foot Freeman boat.
The Coast Guard conducted extensive search operations before suspending active efforts on Monday, having exhausted the most logical search areas without locating either man.
The family released a statement expressing their understanding of the decision to end the active search.
“Given the enormous amount of time, resources, and strategic effort focused on the most logical search areas, there is the highest degree of confidence that if Randy and Brandon were on the surface of the water, they would have been found,” the statement read.
The family praised the “bravery and heroism” of rescue personnel involved in the search efforts across the Gulf waters.
The FBI’s involvement follows standard protocol when federal resources may assist in missing persons cases involving maritime incidents. Investigators have not disclosed any theories about what may have happened to the two men.
The discovery of the boat running with no one aboard has deepened the mystery surrounding their disappearance.
Authorities continue to seek any information that may help explain how the two experienced boaters vanished from their vessel.
