ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – After the body of a 46-year-old canoer who had been missing since Saturday was found Tuesday afternoon, his family and friends are left to mourn the veteran, who served as an Iraqi Christian interpreter with the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Eiffel Gilyana was found around 1 p.m. Tuesday, about 7 miles from where he was last seen near the St. Augustine Inlet.
The Jewish Community Alliance, where Gilyana worked as a fitness and wellness director, shared its condolences with his family and said a remembrance and celebration of life ceremony is in the works. A date and time have not been set yet.
“During this exceedingly difficult time, we humbly ask our community to extend their warmth and compassion to embrace and support the Gilyana Family,” the JCA’s statement said.
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Gilyana’s family shared on a GoFundMe page their deep sorrow at his loss.
“We cling to the knowledge that Eiffel’s spirit lives on in the lives he touched. We will mourn him deeply, but we will also celebrate the gift of his existence, the light he brought to our world, and the legacy of love he leaves behind,” the post said. “Each corner of our lives echoes with his laughter, his warmth, his vibrant spirit, and the silence that follows is deafening.”
Gilyana, who went paddling Saturday morning on an outrigger canoe with a group, became the subject of a U.S. Coast Guard and volunteer search after the others in his group lost sight of him, and his canoe was later found damaged.
A prayer vigil in Vilano Beach was held Monday after the Coast Guard Southeast suspended its search on Sunday night.
The Coast Guard covered about 341 square miles of the St. Augustine Inlet -- the size of the city of Dallas. But Gilyana’s family and friends were praying for a miracle and not giving up hope as volunteers returned to searching Tuesday morning.
Task Force Hydro 1, a charity that helps suicide prevention for veterans, led the volunteer search for Gilyana, who was a member of the group.
The FWC shared a statement Wednesday about the search: “On Saturday, Dec. 23, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to a report of a person missing from an overturned kayak on the St. Augustine Inlet. A search concluded with the recovery of a deceased victim. Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends. This is an active investigation and there is no further information available at this time.”
Retired Navy veteran Leonardo Yui, another member of Task Force Hydro 1, expressed sincere condolences at the loss of his friend.
“Our hearts are shattered with the devastating news about Eiffel,” Yui said in a statement from Task Force Hydro1. “His passion, dedication, and contributions to our organization and the broader community will never be forgotten. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew him.”
A group of five searchers in outrigger canoes left from the St. Augustine Lighthouse boat ramp around 9 a.m. Tuesday to search the Anastasia State Park area up to the Bridge of Lions. Another group that was supposed to go out at 2 p.m. Tuesday never left because Gilyana’s body had already been found.
At least 70 volunteers signed up to help search in five areas, stretching from Mickler’s Landing to the Matanzas Inlet. Among the volunteers are veterans from Georgia and Cocoa Beach.
The GoFundMe set up for Gilyana’s family had raised more than $66,000 as of Wednesday morning.