On April 9, 2005, 51-year-old John Edward Zimmerman II, along with 17-year-old Austin Childs and 41-year-old David Keller, departed from Freeport, Texas, for a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. The three men, all from Houston, were on Zimmerman's 28-foot pleasure craft and were accompanied by a yellow Labrador Retriever. They were expected to return the following day, April 10, 2005, but they never came back and have not been heard from since.
The group had taken several items with them on the boat, including multiple 160-quart ice chests with white snap-on cushions, an orange life ring, a blue and red raft, and standard-sized orange life jackets. An initial plan to leave on Saturday morning was changed, and they instead departed on Friday night. Concern grew on Sunday when Childs' family had not heard from him, and calls to his cellphone went directly to voicemail.
On the afternoon of Sunday, April 10, a helicopter crew discovered the men's boat capsized about 30 miles southeast of Freeport. There was no sign of Zimmerman, Childs, Keller, or the dog. A seat cushion and three life jackets were found floating near the overturned vessel. An examination of the boat revealed a hairline crack or a two-foot hole in the bottom, leading officials to believe it may have accidentally struck an object, such as a log. One 120-gallon ice chest that was usually secured to the boat was missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched an extensive search, covering over 5,679 nautical miles with multiple boats, a helicopter, and a jet, but no trace of the missing men was ever found. The boat's GPS device showed coordinates indicating they may have planned to travel about 80 miles farther than where the boat was discovered, but the device stopped working before more data could be extracted. John Edward Zimmerman II, Austin Childs, and David Keller are presumed to be lost at sea.Last Seen: Apr 9, 2005
