‘Where are Randall Spivey, Brandon Billmaier?’: Massive search for missing Fort Myers fishermen

A search operation was launched for Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier

A search is underway off Florida’s Gulf Coast after two fishermen failed to return from a Friday outing, and their boat was later discovered abandoned at sea. The missing men have been identified as 57-year-old Randall Spivey and his nephew, 33-year-old Brandon Billmaier.

According to family members, the pair left early Friday morning to fish near Fort Myers and were expected back by that afternoon. When they did not return and could not be reached by evening, relatives reported them missing.

The US Coast Guard launched an air and sea response late Friday. Billmaier’s wife said a helicopter was deployed around 11 PM, and at approximately 1:30 AM Saturday, the family was notified that the men’s vessel had been located roughly 70 miles offshore. Neither Spivey nor Billmaier was found on board.

“We’ve gotta find them. Please. Please, please find them,” Tricia Spivey, Randall Spivey’s wife, told WBBH-TV. “They’re amazing people. I mean, I, I don’t know, I just — I just need him back. He needs to come back to us.”

The Coast Guard confirmed Saturday that it is leading the search operation and urged anyone with information to contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at 866-881-1392.

Family members have also appealed to the public for assistance, asking those who are able to help with search efforts to come forward, and others to keep the two men in their prayers.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Spivey is 6-foot-1 with brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing khaki pants and a dark-colored shirt. Billmaier is described as 6-foot-2 with strawberry-blond hair and brown eyes; authorities did not release details about what he was wearing at the time.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said further updates would be provided by the US Coast Guard as the search continues.

The rumors of “mysterious ghosts on radar,” blurry screenshots posted by local boaters showing “tiny dots seemingly following” the Freeman 42-foot catamaran Unstopp-A-Bull, or commentators whispering about “something invisible on deck” in the disappearance of Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier are completely unfounded. As of December 26, 2025, no credible evidence— from news reports, official statements, social media, or investigative updates—supports these claims. Extensive searches across web sources, X (formerly Twitter), and related platforms turn up zero references to radar screenshots, anomalous dots, or ghost-like radar anomalies tied to this case.

This appears to be yet another layer of online misinformation amplifying an already tragic maritime mystery. The real story centers on two experienced, safety-conscious men vanishing from an intact vessel under calm conditions, with the focus remaining on facts, family grief, and ongoing federal investigation.

Recap of Verified Facts

Randall Spivey (57) and Brandon Billmaier (33) departed Fort Myers on December 19, 2025, for deep-sea fishing aboard Spivey’s boat. The Unstopp-A-Bull was found adrift the next day by Coast Guard helicopter, engines running, no damage, but empty—with two life jackets and a life ring missing. No distress signals were sent. Search efforts covered vast Gulf areas before suspension on December 22, shifting to FBI oversight.

Boat location relied on standard methods: aerial spotting and likely GPS/AIS tracking (common on such vessels). No reports mention radar anomalies during discovery or search. Coverage from outlets like Fox News, People, USA Today, News-Press, Gulf Coast News Now, and WPBF emphasizes the boat’s operational state and missing flotation gear as key details.

Why No Radar Screenshots or Dots?

Official Tracking: The Coast Guard used helicopters, aircraft, and vessels with drift models. Boat discovery was visual and positional (e.g., coordinates 25-36N 083-16W per People). No radar “ghosts” or unexplained blips noted.
Social Media Scan: X searches for keywords like “Spivey Billmaier radar dots,” “blurry screenshots boat disappearance,” or semantic queries yield unrelated conspiracy posts (e.g., one fringe account speculating alien extraction without evidence). No boaters sharing radar images; no viral blurry pics.
Reddit/Facebook: Site-specific searches show nothing—no threads on r/Boating, r/Florida, or groups discussing radar ghosts here. General ghost radar app discussions exist but unrelated.
No Media Pickup: If real screenshots circulated, they’d appear in follow-ups. Instead, reports debunk speculation, focusing on accident theories like overboard falls.

Fringe posts (e.g., one claiming “controlled extraction”) exist but have low engagement (~3K views) and no proof. These fuel baseless narratives but aren’t tied to verifiable radar data.

Potential Origins of the Rumor

Such claims may stem from:

Misinterpretation of standard radar artifacts (e.g., sea clutter, birds, or debris dots in marine radar).
Conflation with other cases (e.g., Bermuda Triangle myths or ghost-hunting apps).
Sensationalism in echo chambers, where blurry images from unrelated events get repurposed.

Maritime radar can show anomalies, but experts attribute most to environmental factors—not “invisible entities.” No experts or locals have commented on this case’s radar.

Respect the Families

Deborah Billmaier and Tricia Spivey have pleaded for facts over fiction amid holiday heartbreak. Spivey was a dedicated attorney/father; Billmaier, newly married, loved fishing. Rumors distract from real searches and add pain.