Update: Missing Boater's Body Recovered

U.S. Coast Guard officials have announced that one of two missing boaters has been found in the waters off Pasco County alive, but the other has perished.

William Coffey, 17, was rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in debris about 8 miles west of Hudson Beach Tuesday. Anthony Coffey’s body was located Tuesday afternoon. The 29-year-old was also found about 8 miles west of Hudson Beach..

The Coast Guard received notification about the pair’s troubled vessel just after 1:40 a.m. Tuesday, an email to media from the agency stated. A good Samaritan contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg after hearing a mayday call from the Miss Melody, a 29-foot fishing boat, which had signaled it was taking on water and was going down.

William Coffey was found severely hypothermic, clinging to a lifejacket, the Coast Guard reported. He was flown by a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to Tampa General Hospital for treatment.

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard

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