Missing boaters found with infrared technology

Turtle Bay was the scene of a search and rescue operation early Monday morning, as two missing boaters were located after a little horseplay on their boat. New technology purchased by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office helped to rescue them.

The sheriff’s office aviation unit helicopter, using the latest Forward-Looking Infrared Radar, found the two missing men at 12:36 a.m. Monday. They were reported missing Sunday night at 9:52 p.m.

The Coast Guard notified the sheriff’s office of a distress call from four women in a 23-foot bay boat, who originally said the two men were thrown from the boat after they hit a sandbar. The women later admitted that they took control of the boat when the men jumped overboard, pretending to leave them. When they circled back to retrieve their companions, they couldn’t find them.

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