On April 14, 2005, Shaun Robert Eckert, age 40, embarked on a fishing trip off the coast of Indian River County, Florida, with his two brothers, Michael Eckert and Jay Alva Eckert. The brothers ventured ten to fifteen miles offshore, to a location five to seven miles southeast of the Sebastian Inlet, in their 22-foot fishing boat. Later that evening, the vessel began to take on water and ultimately sank.
A distress call was made by Michael to 911 at approximately 6:00 p.m., but the connection was lost before he could provide their exact location due to the cell phone's battery dying.
The following morning, at around 8:30 a.m., Michael Eckert was discovered alive, adrift off the coast of North Hutchinson Island. A tourist assisted him to shore. Michael recounted that after the boat sank, he was able to find and hold onto a life jacket. He stated that Shaun and Jay were clinging to a cooler. At the time their boat sank, none of the three men were wearing life jackets. Michael reportedly lost sight of his brothers at approximately 9:00 p.m. that night.
An extensive search was launched for the two missing brothers. Debris from the sunken boat was located about a mile off North Hutchinson Island. Despite the search efforts, there was no sign of Shaun or Jay Eckert. The Coast Guard suspended its search for the brothers on April 17, 2005. Shaun Robert Eckert and Jay Alva Eckert are presumed to be lost at sea. At the time of his disappearance, Shaun was described as a 40-year-old white male, standing at 5'10" and weighing 165 pounds, with blond hair.Last Seen: Apr 14, 2005
