NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The mother of a missing American boater said she is at a loss for words and desperate for answers as authorities continue search and recovery efforts to find her daughter, Carolyn.
Carol made a plea for support on Facebook after her daughter went missing at sea following a boating incident near Bimini on July 3.
“I’m losing my strength. Don’t know what to say, think or do anymore,” she wrote on her Facebook page at the time.
“Life is unfair and ironic at the same time. Too much pain to handle.
“Please pray for me because I don’t know if I can keep up with this [much] pain.”
After spending several days in Bimini, Liz Carol said yesterday she was returning to Miami to continue her investigations in an attempt to ‘close this nightmare’.
A 32-foot American-registered boat, ‘Stand Firm’, ran aground around a mile and a half off South Bimini with four Americans on board.
Officers, responding to reports of a disabled vessel at sea, found a man and a woman on board with injuries.
The pair were transported to hospital in North Bimini.
A man’s lifeless body was subsequently found on Turtle Cay, south of south Bimini.
He was identified as Javier Marcos Perez, a 30-year-old Miami resident.
The woman was reportedly catapulted from the vessel on impact.
On July 5, Carol said she was advised her daughter’s remains were found ashore in The Bahamas and she planned to travel to the country to officially identify her and make arrangements to “bring her back home”.
She said she was also advised the body of her daughter’s boyfriend had been recovered.
In response, there was an outpouring of grief, messages of condolences and support for the Carolina, Puerto Rico native.
But in a subsequent update after arriving in Bimini, Carol claimed authorities took her to the morgue, where a medical official advised her that her daughter’s body had not been recovered.
“There was a huge confusion and after all, they took me back to the police station, [where] I spoke in person with the superintendent of police and Ministry of Tourism,” her post read.
“After reading the whole report of the incident, news gets even worse.
“Can’t give details due to [the fact that] I filed a lawsuit, but the point is she’s still missing.
“Whoever gave me the news of her being found is not answering.
The post continued: “I spoke to [the] US Embassy, which they did all my accommodations and they don’t have answers yet.
“I am not leaving this island until I get answers.
“I will not sleep until I find her.
“I look around and see people worrying and everything, worried about bills, stressing about their jobs, traffic, raining days etc. when the most important thing in life is life. I’m so desperate right now that I’m losing it.
“I will post more news as soon as I found out more. Haven’t stopped since I arrived.”
In several earlier posts, updating relatives and friends on developments, Carol uploaded photos of the damaged boat, her daughter and Perez.
In a statement on Friday, the RBDF advised that a search team of defense force, police force and United States Coast Guard, continues to comb the surrounding area and cays.
