U.S. Coast Guard calls off search for missing fishermen off Port Lavaca

The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday suspended the search for a missing man and his son off the coast of Port Lavaca, Texas.

Saturday around 11:20 a.m., the wife of the owner of the shrimp boat My opossum called Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi and reported that her husband and son — the only members of the ship's crew — were late. The two men had left at 5 a.m. and were supposed to return at 10:30 a.m., but they did not return.

Sector Corpus Christi dispatched a helicopter crew from Corpus Christi Air Force Base and a response boat from Port O'Conner Station to begin the search. Calhoun County first responders sent a fireboat to join the effort, and the county boat crew found the shrimp boat's upturned hull in the Matagorda Ship Channel.

Local media identified the missing men as Benedicto Jaramillo, 50, and Angel Alejandro Jaramillo, 16.

“My brother, he’s 16, he’s still young,” his sister Alexis Jaramillo told local newspaper Port Lavaca Wave. “He’s a good kid, always trying, a hard worker who helps.”

On Sunday morning, after 21 hours of searching an area of ​​77 square miles, the Coast Guard suspended its search without success.

“Every time we send out our rescue teams, it is with the fervent hope that we can bring everyone home safely,” said Homar Barrera, Sector Corpus Christi search and rescue coordinator. . “Unfortunately, after considering all relevant factors, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our search today.”

Local nonprofit Hunter Hadley's Quest continues to search for the missing men, and the fishermen's family has launched a GoFundMe effort to support the effort. The nonprofit organization is seeking help from local boaters and waterfront residents to join the privately supported operation.