Desperate Search On For Missing Kayakers In Long Island Sound

EAST MARION, NY — A desperate search for a young couple believed to be missing in the Long Island Sound has turned to the shores of Long Island after a sailboat was found on a local beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it is now "searching for two people in the water." A 14-foot white and blue sailboat with no mast was found on Truman Beach in East Marion, just west of Orient Monday evening.

Authorities say 21-year-old Spencer Mugford and 20-year-old Sophia McKenna were last seen in a white tandem kayak on a social media post shared at 2 a.m. Sunday. They were reported missing at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The couple is believed to have boarded the kayak at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus in Groton, according to a report in The Day. McKenna's car was found on the campus.

Mugford was last seen wearing a blue tank top and salmon colored shorts. It was not clear what McKenna was last seen wearing.

McKenna's mother, Michelle McKenna, told NBC Connecticut that she last heard from them when she received a Snapchat at 2 a.m. Sunday.

"That’s why I’m hoping anyone out there can search for them because I’m praying they’re still alive,” Michelle McKenna said, according to NBC Connecticut. “Miracles do happen, maybe somebody’s already found them. I don’t know. But we got to keep faith."

Anyone who sees a kayak or people in the water is asked to call the Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center at 203-468-4401. Searches by boat and helicopter have so far been unsuccessful.

“The Coast Guard will continue to search for these individuals in the water,” Cmdr. Andrew Ely, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound, said Sunday night. “Mariners are encouraged to remain vigilant and keep a sharp lookout while in the area.”

Reporting by Katie Kausch

Image: David Gifford