KITTY HAWK, N.C. — The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search on Monday for a sailor who was last reported to be located somewhere near Kitty Hawk on Thursday.
According to a spokesperson, 50-year-old Michael Bye was sailing from New York to Florida aboard his 35-foot recreational vessel, the H.M.S. Me II.
The Coast Guard's Fifth District Command Center was contacted at 7:40 p.m. on Friday by a family member after Bye failed to make contact at an agreed upon time.
The spokesperson said "Search-and-rescue coordinators found his last position via cellphone in the vicinity of Kill Devil Hills, N.C."
An HC-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. was searching for Bye.
According to the spokesperson, Bye was scheduled to meet a friend in Belhaven, North Carolina, Thursday, but did not arrive.
The Coast Guard searched approximately 10,000 square miles using assets and personnel from the following units:
- Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City
- Coast Guard Station Hobucken
- Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet
- Coast Guard Station Emerald Isle
- Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach
- Coast Guard Station Fort Macon
- Coast Guard Station Oak Island
- Coast Guard Station Ocracoke
- Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City
“The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is never one we come to lightly,” said Capt. Jeffrey Janszen, Chief of Response for the Fifth Coast Guard District. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. Bye in this difficult time.”
The Coast Guard is asking anyone with additional information regarding Bye's whereabouts to contact the District 5 command center on VHF-FM channel 16 or at 757-398-6390.
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The Coast Guard initially reported the missing boater as 72-years-old. The agency has since corrected Bye's age to 50-years-old.