BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — "They (the families) are heartbroken, and I can't say I feel any different right now," Jacksonville Fire Rescue Chief Keith Powers said. "It is an extremely tough decision because we have a brother out there that we haven't been able to find."
Previous story: Search for missing boaters shifts north near Jacksonville
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The Coast Guard confirmed Wednesday that the last cellphone ping they received from the missing boat was Friday afternoon about 12 miles off shore.
Vlaun said searchers are "in a race against time" as the search area grows exponentially every day that no new clues are found.
The last clue was a tackle bag belonging to one of the boaters found 50 miles off the coast of St. Augustine on Monday afternoon.
Vlaun said the search is becoming "spectacularly large and complex."
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McCluney works for the Jacksonville department while Walker is a master technician with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in Virginia, just outside the nation's capital.
As the days passed, the Coast Guard said it considered the possibility of survival, which is usually five days.
"I have to be honest, that, as we move forward, we're moving into an even more complex environment and even larger environment. And it's a struggle for all of us," Vlaun said.