Florida Missing Teens - Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both 14, have been reported missing since they went boating Friday, which is unusual as the teenagers have been used to the sea that they are comfortable there as they are on land.
The family and friends of the Florida missing teens are now hoping that the boys' knowledge of the sea would lead to them being found eventually by Coast Guard crews.
On Sunday, two days following the disappearance of the Florida missing teens, the Coast Guard said they spotted the 19-foot vessel that Perry and Austin had used to travel at sea. The capsized boat was found 67 nautical miles off Florida's Ponce de Leon Inlet.
The Florida missing teens weren't anywhere near the boat though. Despite this, officials are still continuing the search, which is far from over. Petty Officer 1st Class Stephen Lehmann told reporters that the Coast Guard will continue their search through the night.
"This is still considered an active search and rescue case, and we maintain our perpetual optimism that we're going to find somebody," he said.
The boys' families, and family friend and NFL quarterback Joe Namath, said Sunday they are offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who can help lead to the safe return of the boys.
"We just keep on praying, man," Joe Namath said Sunday when he also announced his involvement into the search for the Florida missing teens. "It's hard, it's so hard, but we've got to believe in their wherewithal."
Meanwhile, Perry's stepfather, Nick Korniloff, told reporters Sunday that they would not stop at anything just to bring the kids home.
"They know the waters. They've been through rough water, they've been through thin water. ... Those are salty dog kids, and they know what they're doing out there," Korniloff said.
The last time the Florida missing teens were spotted was Friday around Jupiter, Florida, when the two reportedly bought fuel worth $110 to begin their trip.
The Coast Guard was contacted by their grandmother four hours later, saying that she got concerned after she hadn't heard from them, according to hadn't heard from them.
At the time of the teens' departure, a commercial fisherman heading for safety saw them. He said the two boys were the only ones going out to sea, according to USA Today.
"I said to myself, 'Those kids are crazy,'" Jim Dulin told The Palm Beach Post. "There's no way they couldn't see that storm. The storm was really black, the temperature dropped and you could tell it was going to be a really mean one."
Though the boat that the Florida missing teens had been riding on was found, it doesn't mean the teens are close to being found. It could reportedly even mean that they are in a more dire situation than had been feared by officials. There was no damage found on the capsized boat. One life jacket was found inside the vessel, according to CNN.
In the meantime, the Coast Guard has expanded the search for the Florida missing teens, encompassing up to the waters off Jacksonville, about 270 miles north of Jupiter and 100 miles north of Daytona Beach. Officials said that by Monday, crews had dispatched 36 search teams over three days, all of which collectively covered more than 28,000 square nautical miles, reported NBC News.
