BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Tyler Barlow, Caleb Wilkinson and Dalton Conway have been gone for three weeks on what was planned to be a four-day fishing trip.
The trio left Brunswick, Georgia, on Oct. 14 on board the Carol Ann and were scheduled to return on Oct. 18, but they disappeared.
The Coast Guard’s search for them spanned 94,000 square miles and four states. No trace of them has been found so far.
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The families of the men believe they will be found and have hired private crews to pick up where the Coast Guard left off.
“So we took it into our own hands and have had to pull in resources like the United States Cajun Navy, Deemi Research,” said Kim Jones, Barlow’s mother. “They are hardy. These boys know how to survive.”
The families gathered dozens of supporters Saturday evening to light up downtown St. Marys in what they called a night of hope and prayer. They want to keep the hope alive that the three men will come home.
“They literally went out go fishing and God, whatever his plan is whatever his will is, is using these boys not to catch literal fish but literally to catch people’s hearts,” Jones said.
Shirts and other items were being sold at the vigil to raise money to support the private searches for the fishermen.
Stevie Conway, Dalton’s sister and Wilkinson’s partner, is four months pregnant with Wilkinson’s child.
It’s literally a roller coaster of emotions,” Stevie Conway said of the search for the missing boaters. “I’m doing the best I can.”
Stevie Conway and Jones said the private search has gone from Maine to Florida with boaters and planes helping. They even pay for photographers to fly in the planes to capture images of anything that is below like debris.
Also helping with the search is Airtec, a company that has a fleet of planes that could be used for searching.
Stevie Conway has asked for the public’s continued assistance with finding her loved ones.
“Anybody that’s able to help continue this search we would greatly appreciate it,” she said. “We’re doing what we can on our behalf with our friends and family with the people we know.”
Earlier, she shared with News4JAX the last text messages between her and Wilkinson.
On Oct. 14 at 2:53 p.m. he sent her a message saying, “We’re leaving the dock now I’m not sure when I’ll lose signal.”
The last message on the thread said, “I’ll be missing y’all.”