### Search Suspended for Missing Boaters in Northern California, Boy Found Alive

BODEGA BAY, Calif. - The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the extensive search for four missing boaters after their vessel overturned off the coast of Northern California over the weekend. The decision was made after search teams discovered an 11-year-old boy alive and recovered the body of a teenager, according to officials on Monday.

The search commenced Saturday evening when the Coast Guard was alerted that a 21-foot boat with three adults and three children had not returned to shore in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Levi Read stated. The boat was scheduled to return by 7 p.m. after launching from Bodega Bay around 3 p.m. to fish during the recreational Dungeness crab season.

On Sunday, rescue crews located the 11-year-old boy alive on South Salmon Creek Beach, north of Bodega Bay. Bearing a life vest, the boy was transported to a hospital and stabilized. He recounted to first responders that the boat had capsized, shared Deputy Rob Dillion from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Just hours after finding the boy, searchers recovered the body of a teenager in the water, said Read. The party, consisting of five family members and a friend from Corning, was aboard a blue and white Bayliner.

The sprawling search effort, including crews from eight local, state, and federal agencies, was conducted over more than 2,100 square miles but was suspended Sunday evening. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Zapawa, who coordinated the operation, remarked, “The decision to suspend a search is always difficult to make and never done lightly. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing boaters during this incredibly difficult time.” However, the search may resume if new information surfaces that could help narrow the search area.