The U.S. Coast Guard is asking for the public’s help to determine the origin of a distress call that prompted a search for a man and three children reportedly missing off the Maine coast.
The Coast Guard received a distress call about 10:30 a.m. Saturday from a man who reported his boat capsizing with three children aboard near Kennebunkport. The Coast Guard said it conducted a 22-hour search for the group over 1,523 nautical miles, but failed to locate them.
The search was called off about 8 a.m. Sunday.
The Coast Guard is now considering the possibility that the distress call may have been a hoax.
“We are asking for the public’s assistance in determining the source of the calls and the nature of the distress,” said Capt. Brian Lefebvre, the commander of the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. “Additional information may aid in our closure of the case and offer a degree of finality to the many rescuers who dedicated their time and effort toward this search effort.”
Anyone with information about the distress call can contact Sector Northern New England at 207-741-5478.