A body that was found in Long Island Sound Friday afternoon has been identified as a boater that went missing over Memorial Day weekend, according to the United States Coast Guard.
Officials said a person found the body, which has been identified as that of 21-year-old Spencer Mugford, around 12:19 p.m., around two and a half miles south-east of Avery Point, and reported it. Mugford's family has been notified.
Mugford and Sofia McKenna, 20, were last seen off the coast of Avery Point in Groton on Snapchat at 2 a.m. on May 27.
They were in a boat that had been donated to the UConn campus at Avery Point, Andrew Ely, of the U.S. Coast Guard, said during a news conference.
The Coast Guard, along with state and local agencies, searched 2,025 square-miles for 71 hours before suspending the search.
U.S. Coast Guard Commander Andrew Ely said search crews found a 14-foot white and blue sailboat with no mast on Truman Beach, near Greenport, New York on Monday afternoon. Ely said officials believe this is the vessel the pair was on when they went missing. The boat was empty when it was found.
McKenna remains missing.
Local
A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod in Massachusetts and a 45-foot Response Boat from Coast Guard Station New London launched and were part of the search. The Coast Guard brought in a fixed-wing plane to search. State police and DEEP also had boats in the water assisting with the search.
Coast Guard officials encourage everyone to wear a lifejacket when on the water. Ely also suggested bringing a marine radio rather than a cell phone because cell service is not guaranteed out on the water and phones might not work properly when wet.
