Search for missing father, son boaters Scott & Josh Arbaugh off Humboldt Bay suspended
HUMBOLDT COUNTY - The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search Wednesday night for a missing man and his son who were on their fishing boat in Humboldt Bay a day earlier.
According to officials, the family of 68-year-old Scott Arbaugh and 49-year-old Josh Arbaugh notified the Coast Guard around 8:50 p.m. Tuesday after they did not return home. The pair had launched their 16-foot boat from Fields Landing Tuesday morning to test the boat's motor.
Coast Guard helicopter and boat crews were deployed, along with the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, Eureka Police Department and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Officials said a group of good Samaritans also took part in the search.
Around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, the helicopter crew located the missing boat about half a mile northeast of the community of King Salmon. The boat was partially submerged and there were no signs of the missing boaters.
The search continued Wednesday with the Coast Guard, Sheriff's Office, Department of Fish and Wildlife and Humboldt Bay Fire taking part. Despite cumulatively searching an area of 247 square miles over 54 hours, officials said there were no signs of either man.
"It's always a difficult decision to suspend a search when we could not locate the missing mariners. There comes a time when we have saturated the search areas and there's simply nothing more we can do but hope that new evidence will turn up in the future," acting Coast Guard Sector Commander Joe Matthews said on their Facebook page. "Our deepest condolences go out to the Arbaugh family and the community in this trying time, and our appreciation to all our professional partners that supported the search effort."
Coast Guard officials said Wednesday that the cause of the incident is under investigation.