Florida sailor missing at sea: 'He's got to be out there,' his sister says

INTERLACHEN, Fla. — Action News Jax is speaking to the family of a Putnam County sailor who fell overboard while stationed in Japan.

The Navy says Peter Mims, 23, fell from a Guided-Missile Cruiser last week.

“I’m waiting for answers, that’s all I’m waiting for,” said Amy James, Mims’ sister.

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James is a heartbroken sister wants to know where her baby brother is.

“He’s got to be out there,” James said.

Mims disappeared five days ago. The Navy believes Mims fell into the sea from the Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Shiloh during routine operations on Thursday, about 180 miles east of Okinawa, Japan.

Both the U.S. and Japanese Navies put in more than 50 hours trying to find him, covering roughly 5,500 square miles. But their search was suspended on Sunday.

“I just can’t believe he’s gone,” James said.

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Mims was raised in the small town of Interlachen and joined the Navy in February of 2014, and reported to the Shiloh in August that year.

“I’m proud to say that he did something he loved, he loved doing it,” she said.

Which is why James believes her brother is still out there.

“He’s still alive, he’s got to be fighting for his life,” she said.

Cox Media Group