Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: April 16, 2008

Contact:  PA3 Mario Romero

(713) 578-3080

COAST GUARD SUSPENDS SEARCH FOR 26-YEAR-OLD MAN OFF FREEPORT 

HOUSTON - After a two-day effort, the Coast Guard has suspended its active search Tuesday at 9 p.m. for Anthony Drake, the 26-year-old man who went missing south of Freeport, Texas, Sunday evening.

Coast Guard crews searched more than 4628 square miles, including overlapping searches, along the Freeport coast and into the Gulf of Mexico.

A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a phone call at 8:21 p.m. Sunday from the Surfside Police Department requesting assistance. The girlfriend of Anthony Drake called the Surfside Police Department and reported he departed from Beach Access Road 1 in Surfside at 2 p.m. Sunday, and had not returned by sunset.

Coast Guard crews involved in the search included three HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crews from Air Station Houston, three rescue boat crews for Station Freeport, and two Falcon jet crews from Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

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U.S. Coast Guard - Saving lives since 1790