NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Police have located the body of one man and a 19 feet Mako Boat, approximately 18-20 miles off Morgan’s Bluff, Andros on Friday.
Harold Fitzgerald and Ryan Russell were last seen on Christmas Day, when they departed on a fishing trip sometime around 8am.
Police will await an autopsy report to confirm the identity and exact cause of death, according Superintendent Shanta Knowles.
Last night, Fitzgerald’s stepdaughter Vanessa Jones said police contacted the family after the boat was found submerged by divers fishing for conch and crawfish.
“They found their bodies (yesterday), but we are still waiting on police to go and retrieve the bodies,” said Jones, 38.
“The bodies are still underwater because tide is very low so they won’t be able to get to them (yesterday).”
Jones said Russell is her maternal cousin.
She explained the two families were closely-knit, adding her mother was a “praying woman” despite her grief.
Jones said Fitzgerald, 49, is an assistant pastor at Mount Freedom Baptist Church, in Lowe Sound.
