ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Coast Guard has suspended its search Saturday evening for a missing Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) crew member pending the development of new information.
The missing crew member is Seaman Bryan K. Lee, 23, from Rancho Cordova, who was reported unaccounted for Tuesday morning while the cutter was operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Waesche and responding assets searched for Lee for nearly 190 hours, covering more than 19,000 square nautical miles.
“Our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Seaman Lee,” said Cmdr. David Stern, search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard District Eleven. “Considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the difficult decision to suspend the search. This case has been extraordinarily challenging, and the decision to suspend the search pending new information is not an easy choice. We’re thankful for the support from our units and partners who searched a significant region of the Pacific Ocean.”
Waesche and its embarked helicopter aircrew searched the area, supported by the following assets:
The crew member was discovered unaccounted for Tuesday at 6:45 a.m. (local time) while the cutter was conducting a routine counter-drug patrol approximately 300 nautical miles south of Mexico. The cutter immediately deviated from its patrol and initiated a comprehensive search effort.
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