Exclusive interview: Wife of missing boater off Fort Myers Beach holds hope for Christmas miracle

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The families of Brandon Billmaier and his uncle, Randy Spivey Sr., are preparing to spend Christmas without them after the two boaters went missing off Florida’s Gulf Coast, 70 miles from Fort Myers Beach.

Deborah Billmaier, Brandon’s wife, expressed her confidence that the U.S. Coast Guard did everything possible to find her husband and his uncle. She also shared more about their story and relationship.

“Our love story, it’s pretty incredible we met in 2020,” Deborah said, reflecting on her relationship with Brandon, which began five years ago. “From the moment I first met him, the way he speaks, carries himself, talks about others, cares about others, it’s just something indescribable.”

At just 31 years old, Deborah is now a widow, recalling the last dinner she shared with Brandon on a slow Thursday evening. “You know, sometimes just those simple moments are the best,” she said.

Brandon and Randy set out for offshore fishing later that night. The Coast Guard believes one of the men fell overboard, and the other jumped in to help, not realizing the boat’s engine was still running.

“So they jumped in the water, and the boat was still going, kept moving away from them,” Deborah explained.

“There was no way the two men could catch up to the moving 42-foot boat,” she added.

The Coast Guard shared its search patterns for Brandon and Spivey Sr., which can be viewed here.

More than two dozen boats were deployed in the search, and the Coast Guard located the missing boat. The boat, a green 42-foot Freeman catamaran named “Unstoppable,” was found by the Coast Guard approximately 70 miles offshore on Saturday, around 12 a.m.

Deborah described Randy as “the most special person,” filled with integrity and love for his family. The two families were inseparable, often traveling and fishing together, bonded by their shared love of the law. Brandon had become an attorney to follow in his uncle’s footsteps, hoping to eventually join Spivey’s firm.

David I. Shiner of the Shiner Law Group in Boca Raton confirmed Monday afternoon that Brandon was a trial attorney at his law firm.

Deborah finds solace in knowing her husband spent his last hours doing what he loved. “He loved fishing,” she said. “He lived for it, he lived for his family, for me.”