DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. — Text messages may indicate early signs of trouble for Peter Rodrigues, the man who hasn't been seen since Sunday morning when he set out on his fishing boat.
The boat, named the 'Sea Witch,' washed ashore at Hanna Park Sunday afternoon with the engines running and a crowd of onlookers wondering what was happening.
His girlfriend, Cathy Lynn Thomasson, told police he left home around 9:30 a.m. to go boating and possibly fishing. She told police he's a former Navy Seal, a strong swimmer and in good shape.
Thomasson said Rodrigues texted her a photo of the fuel console at 12:18 p.m., saying it had not been working.
Thomasson said she believed he got it to work.
Rodrigues sent her another photo of the twin 250 HP motors at 1:08 p.m, saying the water was choppy.
Rodrigues, according to Thomasson, also said he was having a problem with the antenna.
A few minutes later, Rodrigues sent another text that read, "All systems working good except the VHF antenna mount was loose."
That text was followed by one that read, "I rig it." Thomasson said that was the last text she received from Rodrigues.
Police found his car, a blcak Lexus SUV parked and unoccupied at the Palm Cove Marina on Beach Boulevard.
"We don't believe there was any kind of foul play at this time,” said Greg Foxwork with JSO. “Then again we're hoping Mr. Rodrigues comes home safe. We do have a fear he could be in the water and that's why we're doing everything possible to search the surrounding areas."
- Trending: Boy killed when pickup crashes into go-kart
- Related: Boat runs ashore at Hanna Park; boater from Atlantic Beach missing
Police are still going through the instruments on the boat for search patterns and coordinates. Investigators said they have enlisted all local agencies to track down this boater.
"We responded immediately and started conducting an investigation,” said Foxwork. “We also notified the Coast Guard, Fish and Wildlife, and our air units. We immediately started searching the surrounding areas for the boater. Currently, we are going to do a missing person's report and the Coast Guard is taking over efforts to find this individual at this point.”
JSO said they are hoping for the best.
Subscribe: Get Breaking News delivered to Your Mobile Device
WJAX
