Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- A capsized boat off St. Lucie Inlet left five missing, four rescued.
- Survivors, migrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, lacked supplies.
- Family of missing Angelina Garcia Diaz seeks answers; search efforts have ceased.
PALM CITY, Fla. — Families are waiting for answers after a capsized boat was found over 20 miles off the St. Lucie Inlet on Sunday.
Rescue crews were able to save four people from the water on Sunday, but five are still missing.
On Monday, Martin County Sheriff's Office confirmed with WPTV reporter Joel Lopez that the survivors were all migrants from both the Dominican Republic and Haiti trying to enter the United States.
The sheriff's office said the boat left the Bahamas early Friday morning with nine people, when it "immediately" capsized.
A survivor on the vessel told investigators they had been adrift for two days.
They are now being treated at a local hospital for exposure and serious sunburns.
The sheriff's office said they did not have lifeboats, and their food and supplies were lost when the boat capsized.
Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Martin County Sheriff's Office told Lopez they have stopped their search for the missing four people.
"Because there was a 48-hour window, recovery is probably pretty dismal at this point just based on the vast ocean and try to figure out where they floated from and to," said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.
During our coverage, a family in the Dominican Republic reached out to WPTV asking for help as they believe their sister was on the boat and that she was not a strong swimmer.
"It's a nightmare. None of us have slept, her sisters, her mom," said Geovanny Garcia Diaz.
Lopez spoke with Garcia Diaz and his sister, Maria Garcia Diaz, in a video interview, who said their youngest sister, Angelina Garcia Diaz, 30, left at the same time and location as the boat that capsized but needed our help to get answers.
"We haven't heard from her in days. We're far from Florida. We're in the Dominican Republic. I'm tired of calling the DR embassy," said Geovanny Garcia Diaz. "We can't communicate with them. Multiple people have called, I've even sent them a letter, and they don't respond."
"I hope she appears alive. If anyone has any information, please (help)," said Maria Garcia Diaz.
Family said she was trying to flee the Dominican Republic to the United States to find work and help her family.
Lopez went to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office digging for answers and obtained a list of survivors who were rescued from the boat.
Among them was a woman from Haiti, two men from the Dominican Republic, and a 17-year-old boy from Haiti.
Angelina Garcia Diaz was not listed.
WPTV kept searching for a resolution and sent family pictures of Angelina Garcia Diaz to the sheriff's office to see if one of the survivors could verify that she was on the boat before it capsized.
The sheriff's office turned it over to Homeland Security investigators and confirmed that Angelina Garcia Diaz had been on the boat, but they couldn't confirm if she was one of the five people missing or the person who died.
"Unless we see her body, or until they confirm, we'll keep our faith in God that she's alive," said Geovanny Garcia Diaz.
The sheriff's office said that all four survivors have been deported from the U.S. in the past and are recovering in the hospital and are expected to be sent back to their home countries.
"These are the horrific ramifications of them trying to come across on a small boat," said Budensiek. "Not looking at the weather, not knowing the ocean, not having a real plan if something goes wrong."
