Were missing Florida boaters found? Search suspended. What we know

The search for two boaters missing off the coast of Naples, Florida has been suspended after a massive four-day search operation covering about 6,700 square miles.

The U.S. Coast Guard halted its search for Fort Myers attorney Randall Spivey, 57, and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, 33, at sunset Monday.

“After the utmost consideration and careful review of all factors involved in this case, the Coast Guard made the difficult decision to suspend its active search efforts,” said Capt. Corrie Sergent, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, in the statement.

“There is no harder decision than suspending a search. I am incredibly grateful for the crews, partners, and volunteers across this community who executed this massive search with the utmost professionalism, persistence, and compassion. We offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of Mr. Spivey and Mr. Billmaier during this extremely difficult time.”

Volunteers from all over the Southwest United States had joined the search for the men who vanished during a fishing trip about 70 miles off the Naples coast on December 19.

“While this is heartbreaking, Brandon and Randy would never want anyone else to put their life in danger, and we know they would want this decision to be respected,” Deborah Billmaier, wife of Brandon Billmaier, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday night.

Missing Florida boaters vanished Saturday, Dec. 19

Spivey and Billmaier went on a fishing trip about 102 miles off the coast of Naples in Southwest Florida, Tricia Spivey said. They left early Friday morning and were scheduled to return at about sunset that day.

They were supposed to come back that same evening but by 7:30, neither of their wives had heard back from them.

This prompted a call to the Coast Guard, and at 11 p.m., a helicopter had been deployed in search of the men.

The men were in a 42-foot Freeman boat named “Unstopp-A-Bull,” said Luis Garcia, supervisor on watch for the Coast Guard sector in St. Petersburg.

Using GPS coordinates from the boat’s spot tracker, the Coast Guard later found the boat floating upright in the Gulf about 70 miles off the coast of Naples near Marco Island and Flamingo, Tricia Spivey said, but there were no signs of the missing boaters.

There were two life jackets missing from the boat, which made family members think Spivey and Billmaier could be wearing them.

The Coast Guard found a 42-foot Freeman boat, named “Unstopp-A-Bull,” floating upright in the Gulf , but no signs of the missing boaters, attorney Randall Spivey, 57, and his 33-year-old nephew Brandon Billmaier.
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Missing Florida fishermen’s boat found empty off Fort Myers

According to the USCG, a Coast Guard helicopter crew found the vessel, a Freeman Boatworks 42LR named “Unstopp-A-Bull,” adrift, still in gear, roughly 70 miles west of Fort Myers at approximately 12 a.m. Saturday.

A rescue swimmer was lowered, stopped the engines, and anchored the vessel for safety.

“The boat was in gear,” said Riley Perkofski, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast District, “We deployed a swimmer, and then the swimmer deployed the vessel’s anchor so that it wouldn’t keep moving.”

Later that day, the boat was brought back to Station Fort Myers Beach for further investigation.

“They know the exact path of the boat,” Perkofski said. “We have coordinates of where the boat is and we also have coordinates of where it veered off course when it was coming home last night.”

According to the USCG, the FBI is leading the missing person investigation.

Search area for missing Florida boaters was vast

GPS coordinates from the boat’s spot tracker led them to that location near Marco Island and Flamingo, Spivey’s wife, Tricia Spivey, said on Dec. 20. That’s where the search has been concentrated.

“They know the exact path of the boat,” she said. “We have coordinates of where the boat is and we also have coordinates of where it veered off course when it was coming home.”

As of Monday morning, searchers were focusing on a 20-mile-wide area about 100 miles off the coast of Naples, according to a statement from the Spivey/Billmaier family.

“Our search is being led by the United States Coast Guard, and we are incredibly grateful for their leadership and professionalism,” the statement said. “As a family, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the resources and volunteers who have stepped up to help.

“The amount of support, time, and effort being given means more to us than we can put into words.”

The Coast Guard said crews searched by air and sea, covering approximately 6,700 square miles–an area about the size of Connecticut, before halting search operations, pending the development of new information.

Fort Myers attorney Randy Spivey (pictured) and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier, have gone missing off the coast of Naples during a Dec. 19 fishing trip.

Who is Randy Spivey?

In a Dec. 20 interview, Tricia Spivey said her husband — a prominent Fort Myers attorney — is well-regarded and well-liked.

“He’s an amazing, amazing man,” she said, “and he’s dedicated his life to helping other people as an attorney and helping them in their time of need. And that’s why it’s so touching that many people are now stepping up to find him.”

He and his nephew are avid fishermen, she said.

“That’s their love,” she said. “My husband’s been fishing for over 30 years. They love fishing. He’s the most safety-prone person.”

In its Dec. 22 statement, the Spivey/Billmaier family described Spivey as “an incredible, devoted, and loved husband and father.”

“He would do anything for his family,” the statement says. “He has also dedicated his 30 years as an attorney in Southwest Florida to helping those who are injured. We are so grateful to all of our community for now helping us to bring him home!”

Fort Myers attorney Randy Spivey and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier (pictured), have gone missing off the coast of Naples during a Dec. 19 fishing trip.

Who is Brandon Billmaier?

Billmaier had recently gotten married, the statement said.

“Brandon is also an attorney who followed in his uncle’s footsteps to help people injured in Florida,” it said. “He is newly married, and we all need both Brandon and Randy brought home because we love them so deeply!”

“They are two of the kindest, most selfless people I know,” he wrote on Facebook.” They are my role models…

The Shiner Law Group issued a statement on Dec. 22 on the disappearance of Billmaier, a Boca Raton-based attorney and associate with the firm since August 2023.

“This situation has been surreal; we continue to pray and hold onto hope for the safe return of Brandon and Randy as search efforts remain underway. We respectfully ask that the public keep Brandon Billmaier and Randy Spivey in their thoughts and prayers.”

The Lee County Sheriffi’s Office described Spivey as a white male, 6’1”, 245lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a dark in color shirt, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Billmaier is a white male, 6’2”, 250lbs, with strawberry hair and brown eyes.

Tragedy at Sea: Urgent Questions Surround Disappearance of Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier as Search Continues

As Christmas Eve dawns on December 24, 2025, the families of Randall “Randy” Spivey Sr., 57, and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, 33, face an unimaginable holiday season shrouded in grief and uncertainty. The two experienced attorneys and avid fishermen vanished during a routine deep-sea fishing trip off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida, on December 19. While the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its active search-and-rescue operation at sunset on December 22 after covering nearly 7,000 square miles, the case has transitioned to an FBI-led missing persons investigation. Amid the heartbreak, maritime experts and family statements are focusing on a chilling possibility: that autopilot engagement or slow trawling speeds may have contributed to the men falling overboard without anyone at the helm.

news-press.com

Missing Florida boaters are Randy Spivey and nephew Brandon Billmaier

Randall Spivey, a prominent Fort Myers personal injury attorney and founder of the Spivey Law Firm, and Brandon Billmaier, an associate at Boca Raton’s Shiner Law Group who followed in his uncle’s footsteps into the legal profession, set out early that Friday morning aboard Spivey’s 42-foot Freeman catamaran, named “Unstopp-A-Bull” (sometimes referred to as “Unstoppable”). The pair planned a bottom-fishing excursion approximately 100 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, expecting to return by sunset. When they failed to arrive or respond to calls, family members alerted authorities around 9 p.m.

law.com

Missing South Florida Boaters Identified As Local Attorneys| Law.com

A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Clearwater located the vessel around midnight on December 20, adrift about 70 miles west of Fort Myers—still in gear, engines running, but eerily empty. A rescue swimmer boarded, secured the boat, and it was later towed back to Station Fort Myers Beach for examination. Notably, two life jackets were missing, offering a glimmer of hope that the men may have donned them before entering the water. No signs of distress, foul play, or structural damage were immediately reported, deepening the mystery.

wftv.com

Coast Guard Finds Boat In Search For Missing Florida Boaters – WFTV

The subsequent search became one of the largest offshore efforts in Southwest Florida history, involving Coast Guard assets from multiple stations (including Clearwater, Miami, and even Elizabeth City), cutters, aircraft, the Florida State Guard, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and hundreds of civilian volunteers with private boats and planes. On-scene conditions featured moderate 10 mph winds and 3-foot seas—not extreme, but enough to challenge survival over days.

mysuncoast.com

Coast Guard continues search for missing boaters off Fort Myers

Family members, including Spivey’s wife Tricia and Billmaier’s wife Deborah, rallied the community via social media, sharing search grids and pleading for assistance. “We’ve gotta find them. Please, please find them,” Tricia told local media early in the ordeal. Deborah described the situation as “a nightmare, a horror movie,” while expressing gratitude for the overwhelming support. In a poignant update, the families suggested the men might have entered the water intentionally—perhaps to retrieve gear or swim—only for the boat to drift away. “They jumped in the water, and the boat was still going, kept moving away from them,” Deborah explained in an interview. “There was no way the two men could catch up to the moving 42-foot boat.”

foxnews.com

Two attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them

This scenario aligns with warnings from maritime safety experts, who emphasize the dangers of unmanned vessels on autopilot or at low trawling speeds. Modern fishing boats like the Freeman 42 often feature sophisticated autopilot systems designed to maintain course during trolling for fish. If engaged without constant oversight, a sudden wave, shift in weight, or loss of balance could cause someone to fall overboard. With no one at the controls, the boat continues on its path, rapidly outpacing any swimmer—even strong ones. “Even experienced boaters can lose their balance if a vessel suddenly changes direction without anyone at the helm,” experts note, highlighting how trawling at slow speeds (often 2-8 knots) exacerbates the risk, as the boat’s momentum prevents quick stops or turns.

Investigators are reportedly examining the boat’s electronics, GPS data, and autopilot logs to determine if this played a role. The EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) remained aboard and unactivated, suggesting no catastrophic event triggered it automatically. The transition to FBI oversight raises questions about potential federal angles, though no evidence of criminality has surfaced publicly.

The suspension of the Coast Guard’s active search was described as “heartbreaking” by officials. “There is no harder decision than suspending a search,” said a spokesperson, praising the tireless efforts of crews and volunteers. The families, while devastated, echoed respect for the choice: “While this is heartbreaking, Brandon and Randy would never want anyone else to put their life in danger.” Yet hope lingers faintly—private searches may continue, and miracles at sea, though rare, have occurred.

Spivey and Billmaier were more than skilled lawyers; they were devoted family men. Randall, a 30-year veteran helping injured clients in Southwest Florida, was called “an incredible, devoted husband and father” by loved ones. Brandon, recently married and aspiring to join his uncle’s firm, was remembered as a “light in this world” full of integrity. The two shared a close bond, often fishing and traveling together.

As the nation celebrates the holidays, Southwest Florida mourns. Vigils and messages of support pour in, with colleagues at Shiner Law Group expressing profound sadness: “Brandon is a valued member of our firm and someone we care about tremendously.” This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the Gulf’s unforgiving nature and the critical importance of boating safety protocols—like kill switches, constant helm attendance, and buddy systems.

On this Christmas Eve, prayers continue for a miracle—for Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier to be found safe. Until then, their story underscores the thin line between routine adventure and profound loss, leaving a community grappling with unanswered questions and enduring sorrow.