FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. The U.S. Coast Guard continued combing through San Carlos Bay on Sunday for a missing 29-year-old kayaker, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission official said.
The FWC found a dead body in the water Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said, but it’s unclear whether it is Fort Myers resident Justin R. Furman, who was last seen Friday night kayaking off Punta Rassa.
Furman was camping with a group of friends and decided he wanted to go fishing along the beach around 9 p.m., the Coast Guard said.
While members of Furman’s group stayed in contact with him until 10:15 p.m., his friends said they were unable to find him when they woke up the next morning, according to a press release. Furman did not have a life preserver, cellphone or emergency equipment with him in the kayak.
The kayak was found just before noon on Saturday by a good Samaritan in the area between Sanibel Island and Bodwitch Point, according to the Coast Guard.
Crews from the following agencies are assisting the Coast Guard: Station Fort Myers Beach, Air Station Clearwater, FWC, Lee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, Cape Coral Fire Department, Estero Fire Rescue, Iona-McGregor, and Fire Protection and Rescue Service District.
Anyone with information should call Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at 727-824-7506.