Disappearance of Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos

Perry Cohen (born January 30, 2001)[1] and Austin Stephanos (born December 1, 2000)[2] were two fourteen-year-old friends who vanished during a fishing trip on July 24, 2015 in Tequesta, Florida.[3]

Perry Cohen
Born(2001-01-30)January 30, 2001
DisappearedJuly 24, 2015 (aged 14)
Atlantic Ocean off of Tequesta, Florida
StatusMissing for 5 years, 6 months and 13 days
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Austin Stephanos
Born(2000-12-01)December 1, 2000
DisappearedJuly 24, 2015 (aged 14)
Atlantic Ocean off of Tequesta, Florida
StatusMissing for 5 years, 6 months and 13 days
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)

Background

Cohen and Stephanos were avid fishermen and would go fishing at an area not far offshore. The two boys would routinely check in with their parents, every couple of hours.[4] Stephanos's grandfather told reporters that his grandson had operated the boat about twenty times and that family members were comfortable with him operating the boat. About a week prior to the boys disappearance Stephanos had been stopped by a Marine Patrol Officer for a routine check, and all safety equipment mandated by Florida law was aboard the boat.[5]

On July 23, 2015, Cohen sent a message to another friend via Instagram that read; "Me and Austin are crossing to the Bahamas tomorrow. Come with us, we wouldn't check in."[6] Another friend reportedly spoke to Stephanos about traveling to the Bahamas prior to their departure with Stephanos said that the weather was too rough. Cohen reportedly asked his step-father that night if he could borrow his GPS to use on Stephanos's boat.[7]

Disappearance

The night prior to their disappearance Cohen and Stephanos spent the night together at Stephanos's home before planning to go fishing the next morning, although Cohen had told a friend that they were planning to head to the Bahamas.[8] On the morning of July 24, 2015, Cohen and Stephanos traveled to the Jupiter Island marina, to go fishing on an eighteen-foot, single engine 1978 SeaCraft that was registered to Stephanos's mother. They were last seen at the Jib and Yacht Club and Marina where they spent about $100 USD on gas and Stephanos texted his parents around 11:25 AM[3] and they left the marina sometime before noon.[8]

Shortly after they left, a line of thunderstorms were documented moving towards the area, and the National Weather Service issued a special marine warning that warned of heavy rains and winds potentially in excess of 40 mph.[4] It is believed that the boys were overtaken by the storm, as Stephanos's cellphone was disconnected from the Internet around 1:15 PM.[8] His last social media post was from his Snapchat account, with one of the posts being the boys on the boat with fishing poles and a message stating; "Peace Out Jup", which friends claim meant the boys were going to the Bahamas.[7] A friend told reporters that another post from that day from Stephanos's account was a video of the fast moving storm headed towards the boat, with the commentary; "We're f-cked".[9]

Search efforts

A fund was created in order to pay for private efforts of searching for the boys and thousands of dollars was raised within a few hours of the fund being created. Dozens of people, including NFL Hall-of-Famer Joe Namath, joined the search and participants followed shorelines and beaches looking for any debris washed ashore.[10]

Due to the vast sea area to be searched, multiple boats and aircraft were used to search for the missing boys. A Coast Guard C-130 airplane, a Miami helicopter crew, a HR 144 plane, two US Customs and Border Protection planes and two Coast Guard Cutters were used along with multiple private boaters and pilots offering their help.[4] The search was made difficult as it was determined that the boat was not equipped with an emergency positioning beacon or any other safety equipment, such as a radio or GPS.[8]

The boat that the boys were operating was originally discovered on July 26, 2015 near Daytona Beach, Florida and the Coast Guard attached a data-marker buoy to the boat and left to continue to search for Cohen and Stephanos. It was re-discovered on March 18, 2016 about one-hundred-miles from Bermuda. An iPhone and other personal effects were found on board the boat.[11] The search for the boys was called off on July 31, 2015.[10]

Investigation

Due to the storm that occurred shortly after the boys left the marina, while the boys were declared missing they were generally believed to be victims of the violent storm. However, with the rediscovering of the boat on March 18, 2016 the parents of Cohen believed that there was potentially additional information in the fate of the two boys. The boat was discovered to have the ignition and the battery switched to the Off position, which could potentially indicate foul play.[12]

However, as there is no other evidence of foul play all the items found in the boat were turned over to the boys' families, without investigation into the objects. Cohen's parents filed a lawsuit against an iPhone being returned to Stephanos's parents as they felt it would break the chain of custody and any evidence would be tainted by potential bias.[12]

In 2016, Cohen's parents filed a lawsuit to prevent an iPhone that was discovered in the boat being returned to Stephanos's family.[13] Cohen's parents argued that the phone being returned to Stephanos's family would potentially taint any evidence found on the iPhone. Despite multiple motions for emergency injunction against the Stephanos family and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the phone was turned over to the Stephanos family. It was later sent to Apple per a judge's order to be investigated by the company for the court.[12]

In 2017, Cohen's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stephanos's family alleging that Stephanos and other family members were negligent for allowing the boys to venture into the Atlantic Ocean with an unworthy vessel and no communication devices on board.[14] Specific charges were filed against Stephanos's father, William "Blu" Stephanos, who the Cohens alleged delayed rescue efforts by proper authorities by undertaking his own search instead of calling 911 when he learned of the boys' disappearance from his ex-wife.[15]

In September 2020, a Palm Beach County judge ruled that William "Blu" Stephanos was not liable in the disappearance of his son and Cohen. The judge stated that the personal search did not increase the boys' risk of harm, and that the risk the boys faced were the dangerous conditions at sea.[15]

Vigils and memorials

Shortly after their disappearance, a makeshift memorial was created out of seashells and candles to honor the boys. Artist Shepard Fairey painted a mural of Cohen at Jupiter High School in 2017. A statue to honor the boys and others lost at sea is too be installed at the south jetty of the Jupiter Inlet memorial sight, in a combined effort by the AustinBlu Foundation and the Jupiter Inlet District. The statue is being created by West Palm Beach artist Robert St. Croix.[8] A teak plaque topped with a clear lighthouse inscribed with; "Keep the Light Shinning for Austin & Perry" was installed at the jetty, the lighthouse has a flashing LED light.[16]

The five year anniversary of their disappearance was marked in 2020, with both families engaging in separate memorials due to the ongoing legal battle.[8]

Legacy

Both families set up foundations in honor of their sons. The Perry J. Cohen Foundation has donated to local organizations and schools with the Jupiter High Schools new Wetlands Laboratory named after Cohen. The laboratory works with students in an outdoor environment to teach art, photography, environment, and agriculture students.[14] The AustinBlu Foundation has held annual fishing tournaments and helped the "Beacon Bill" signed into state law in 2016, which helps boaters with registration fees for location beacons.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Have you seen this child? Perry Cohen". missingkids.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  2. "Have you seen this child? Austin Stephanos". missingkids.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  3. Freeman, Marc (August 24, 2018). "One year later, lawsuit heats up in Tequesta teens' disappearance at sea". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  4. Clary, Adam Sacasa, Mike (July 27, 2015). "Families hope, pray for missing boys' survival after boat found capsized". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  5. Lesley, Devan Stuart (May 6, 2016). "Missing Florida Teens: Their Boat Had No Emergency Radio". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  6. Darville, Sierra (2017-06-22). "'Me and Austin are crossing to the Bahamas': Perry Cohen's last message to friend". WPEC. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  7. Burke, Peter (2017-06-22). "Jupiter teens who disappeared at sea planned to go to Bahamas". WPLG. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  8. Howard, Sam. "Five years since Tequesta teens disappeared: 'Part of me is missing and always will be'". Treasure Coast. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  9. Ostrowski, Jeff (September 23, 2016). "Could Snapchat posts shed light on missing teens' final moments?". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  10. White, Ted (2015-11-13). "Hundreds attend memorial service for Austin Stephanos". WPBF. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  11. Park, Andrea (April 23, 2016). "Florida Teens Lost at Sea: Boat, iPhone Found Months Later". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  12. Lesley, Devan Stuart (May 5, 2016). "Mother of Florida Teen Lost at Sea Explains Legal Battle". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  13. Cohen, Pamela Jill (December 12, 2016). "Cohen v Florida Fish and Wildlife, Black and Stephanos" (PDF). Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  14. Milian, Jorge (July 25, 2019). "Disappearance of Tequesta teens remains 'indescribable' to parents". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  15. Sutton, Scott (2020-09-10). "Judge rules father not liable in deaths of 2 Tequesta teens lost at sea in 2015". WPTV. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  16. "Five years since Tequesta teens disappeared: 'Part of me is missing and always will be'". www.palmbeachpost.com. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
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