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Families of missing boaters await word
By JOSH ZIMMER © St. Petersburg Times, published October 3, 2000 HOMOSASSA -- Two women whose husbands are missing in the Gulf of Mexico say their frustration with rescue officials isn't easing their grief. Faye Fischer and JoAnn Richardson are still seeking answers to the disappearance of Bruce Fischer, 57, and Thomas Richardson, 46. Neither man has been seen since early Thursday when they left on a half-day fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico with friend Julius Abrams. Rescuers found the body of Abrams, 60, floating near their 22-foot capsized boat Friday evening. But citing choppy waters, rescuers suspended their search for Fischer and Richardson the next day, leaving the wives to fear the worst. "I don't know what you do," said Fischer, who is Thomas Richardson's sister. "I think we already know that in our minds but don't want to think it in our hearts." Fischer and her family say they have received mixed signals from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's division of law enforcement. They wonder why Sheriff's Office divers on Sunday were able to rescue the body of a commercial fishing captain whose boat capsized Saturday about 50 miles west of Crystal River but could not retrieve the bodies of Fischer and Richardson after their boat overturned Thursday 17 miles southwest of Hernando Beach. On Sunday, family members themselves were ready to charter a plane and dive for the bodies, said Ray Stayler, Fischer's son. State and local authorities on Monday defended their efforts. Both said the gulf, whipped up by winds that created 6- to 8-foot waves, was too dangerous for divers to enter. By Sunday, Coast Guard rescuers could no longer see the boat, said Lt. Dennis De La Paz of the commission's division of law enforcement. Rescuers thought they had a better chance of finding survivors after finding Gregory Wayne Smith, 36, of Inglis clinging to a life raft 50 miles off shore, De La Paz said. The chances of survival appeared poorer for Fischer and Richardson. "As far as them not diving, that was the decision of the divers ... that the conditions were not good enough," De La Paz said. "The emphasis needs to be on finding live people." "I think that's a poor excuse," Stayler said. Stayler said authorities promised the family they would look for Fischer and Richardson on their way back from the other rescue. Family members said the boat, which was last seen Friday off Hudson, should have been anchored. No one from the commission's division of law enforcement could be reached for a response. The Coast Guard searched again Monday without success. Stayler went to U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman's office Monday to get information from authorities. He said he submitted a copy of an e-mail to Gov. Jeb Bush in which he criticizes the Sheriff's Office and the state's lack of divers. An avid fisherman, Fischer always checked the weather conditions before going into the gulf, family members said. "We just need some help; we need some closure," Faye Fischer said. "It's gone on too long."
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