Jacksonville, Florida. This past Saturday, 37-year-old Timothy Obi was out in the water spearfishing along with some friends when he failed to return to the boat they were on.
At 12:15 that afternoon, the people on the boat Timothy had been on reached out to the Coast Guard to ask for help in searching for him.
The Coast Guard brought in several boats, helicopters, and airplanes to comb the waters looking for Timothy.
Unfortunately, the search for him was called off 2 days ago, and here’s why.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Timothy Obi, the 37-year-old man who disappeared while spearfishing on Saturday
Just 250 feet away from where Timothy had last been seen diving in the water, his damaged diving equipment was discovered.
“This afternoon I have made the determination based on new information to suspend the search for Mr. Timothy Obi,” Captain Mark Vlaun, Commander of the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, said in a statement.
“The Coast Guard and our partners extend our deepest condolences to the Obi family, who remain our thoughts and prayers during this exceptionally difficult time.”
“Earlier today, the Coast Guard received a report from a volunteer dive boat indicating they had located damaged diving gear.”
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“The Obi family confirmed that the gear belonged to Mr. Timothy Obi. The location and condition of the gear are consistent with a suspected encounter with a marine predator.”
It’s not clear if Timothy passed away due to that predatory encounter, or if it happened for another reason and then the predator came along.
GoFundMe; pictured above Timothy smiles
“Timmy Obi was a loving husband to Lizzy and father to Davis, Kyle, and Brooks,” a GoFundMe page created for his family reads.
“He had a passion for surfing, fishing, and diving. He was loved by so many and will be missed very much.”
“Funds raised will be used to support the family’s immediate needs and for a college fund for his three boys.”
If you would like to donate to the college fund created for Timothy’s three children, you can do that here.