A frantic manhunt is entering its fourth day after a Massachusetts fisherman was reportedly seen throwing equipment overboard before he and his girlfriend vanished without a trace.
Shawn Arsenault, 64, and his partner Felicia Daley, 54, set off from Rock Harbor in Orleans, about 100 miles east of Newport, on Saturday.
Locals reported to the Coast Guard that Arsenault was seen tossing electronic equipment into the water before leaving the Harbor.
The couple had planned to go clamming near the Target Ship Wreck in Cape Cod Bay aboard their 30-foot white fishing boat, which features a painted mermaid on the bow and its name ‘Seahorse’ scrawled across the stern.
But they never returned.
The first sign something was wrong when locals reported to the Sunday morning when local resident Sam Miller and her father spotted a critical clue while walking along the beach.
‘I noticed in the surf there was something floating, so I went down to see what it was, and it turned out to be a GPS unit off of a boat,’ she told CBS Boston. ‘We could tell it was a GPS unit off a boat… it had blue tape on it that said ‘F/V Seahorse.’
The Millers tried to return the device by leaving a note on Arsenault’s nearby pickup truck in Rock Harbor.
But when they returned Monday and saw the truck still unmoved, they alerted the harbormaster – who quickly contacted the Coast Guard.
Officials say weather likely wasn’t a factor in the disappearance, although search efforts have been hampered by fog and thunderstorms.
‘We activated the Cape Cod Mutual Response System,’ Coast Guard Commander Cliff Graham told CBS, noting visibility had been poor.
‘Up today we are under a small craft advisory. Our search efforts are a little diminished because of the weather.’
Authorities said a cellphone believed to be on board last pinged roughly two miles offshore from Chatham.
Coast Guard Lt. Quinn LeCain confirmed reports that Arsenault was seen tossing items overboard shortly after departing.
‘We received reports that he was seen throwing electronic equipment overboard,’ LeCain said in an email to CBS.
‘We can’t confirm what exactly was thrown… there was a Facebook comment saying that it was his old GPS.’
Now, as search crews scour the waters of Cape Cod Bay, Arsenault’s family is fearing the worst.
‘I really don’t know what to think or feel right now,’ his brother told WCVB.
‘The boat was just checked out by his mechanic, he said everything was A-OK.
‘He just got a new radar, a fish finder, and he was all excited about that.
‘He got it all hooked up. He said he was going not coming home until he has his 30 bags.’
He added a heartbreaking message to his brother: ‘You’re in my prayers, brother. I hope God takes care of you.’
Anyone with information about the Seahorse or its occupants is urged to contact the Sector Southeastern New England command center at 866-819-9128.