It's been 11 days since four Dangriga fishermen shipped out for a weekend fishing trip. The day they left, Friday, December 11th, was the last anyone heard of them.
And, tonight with the Coast Guard racing between southern Cayes to find them, the search has become desperate.
Cherisse Halsall spoke to family members today who told her they are still hopeful:
19-year-old Leon Joseph, Jeffrey Gomez, Omar Thompson, and 29-year-old Brenton Brackett remain missing at sea.
It's become a desperate situation as the veteran fishermen who were all well versed in their fishing routes have been gone for over 10 days now.
This morning - via Zoom - we spoke to two of their family members who are hoping they'll come home alive and well.
Dave Brackett, Father of Missing man
"I saw him about 2 days before he left town. That would be about the 9th of this month."
Reporter
"What was his attitude on that day?"
Dave Brackett, Father of Missing man
"He mentioned that he was going on a fishing trip overnight. That's normal procedure. I think they lost their way, I wouldn't know what to say. We are looking for answers as well. People said that they left Long Caye around the 12th or the 13th."
Omar Thompson's brother says he spoke to him just before he left and finds it strange that he would remain out at sea without calling in an update.
Cherisse Halsall:
"When was the last time you spoke to your brother?"
Voice of: Elroy Kuylen, Brother of Missing man
"The 11th of December, the Friday afternoon. He was going out to work and he says that he was going to be back on Saturday or Sunday."
Cherisse Halsall:
"At this point did you become worried about his safety?"
Voice of: Elroy Kuylen, Brother of Missing man
"From the time he hasn't contacted me again. I don't know if he had an engine failure or something. I still have hope that he is alive."
And after a week had gone by, with all else having failed, the families had to get the Coast guard involved.
Lt. Kenrick Thomas, Operations Commander
"On Friday December 18th at about 11:40 the Coast guard received a call reporting of four missing persons at sea. The vessel was describe to us as being an 18 footer powered by a 40 horse power engine. Immediately the Coast Guard initiated a search and rescue operation."
"After calculating set and drift in relation to the date that they were last seen the Coast guard has conducted search patters in different areas."
But they haven't just left the searches up to the authorities they've continued to go out on the water themselves.
Voice of: Elroy Kuylen, Brother of Missing man
"The first day that I went out we went to Cotton-y, Cotton y side that's more down south in front of Placencia area. Well he won't go on somebody camp that doesn't give him authorization to be on their camp."
Dave Brackett, Father of Missing man
"Along the entire coast, the entire coast from long Caye south and the neighboring islands, no, the neighboring Cayes. The range of Cayes along San fly Caye searched that whole area. We didn't find anything else, no clue nothing at all."
And even with no clues and days of searching have taken their toll, this father and brother say they still have hope.
Voice of: Elroy Kuylen, Brother of Missing man
"My heart is heavy because then I'm worried that probably we find him alive or dead."
Dave Brackett, Father of Missing man
"Basically he maintained his family and he's like to be reunited with his family but nothing else so far he has a wife and one daughter that he usually comes back to so it's strange that he went for so long."
For the Coast Guards' part, they wish they had gotten the distress call earlier.
Lt. Kenrick Thomas, Operations Commander
"Our searches would have been more effective and the search area would have been less or more smaller. We are still conducting a search and rescue mission. We're not looking for bodies as yet."
At this hour the four fishermen and vessel remain missing at sea. The Coast guard is asking anyone with information to please contact their operations center at 222-5262 or call the nearest police station.
