Empty kayak found 3 miles off Florida ignites search for missing 77-year-old, cops say

The discovery of an empty kayak has Florida officials worried about a 77-year-old man in the Gulf of Mexico.

A witness called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday, May 1, to report “an abandoned” kayak was seen floating 3 miles off Bonita Beach, officials said.

Deputies responded “and located documents within the kayak belonging to Kenneth Humiston,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Bonita Beach is about a 150-mile drive south of Tampa.

“Members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Coast Guard immediately searched the area including Estero Bay and Wiggins Pass,” the sheriff’s office reports. “At this time, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing search efforts with the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Humiston lives in Naples, about a 14-mile drive south of Bonita Beach in Collier County.

This story was originally published May 2, 2024 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Empty kayak found 3 miles off Florida ignites search for missing 77-year-old, cops say."