Fort Lauderdale Police have released some new details from their investigation of Guma Aguiar's disappearance. They have narrowed down the time he left his house in Fort Lauderdale to about 6:57 p.m. and say he almost certainly boarded the boat alone.
According to a release from Det. Travis Mandell, a witness on a boat at sea watched Aguiar's boat, the tender to the yacht Zion, moving at high speeds and "wave jumping" over roughening seas.
GPS data also shows that the boat never came to a full stop until it washed ashore on Fort Lauderdale beach later in the evening.
From the Police Department:
After reviewing the GPS data, detectives have found no evidence to suggest the boat ever came to a complete stop in the Atlantic Ocean. The GPS data shows the vessel traveled in a northeast direction from the area of Port Everglades until it was approximately 3.5 nautical miles from the closest shoreline. The top speed of the vessel was approximately 31 miles per hour at 7:35 P.M. At 7:56 P.M., the vessel's GPS data shows an abrupt decrease of speed, slowing down to approximately 0.6 miles per hour, as well as a drastic change in course to head westbound. The boat then drifted westbound with speeds no greater than 3 miles per hour, eventually coming ashore on Fort Lauderdale beach.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call 954-828-5556.
Coming tomorrow morning, we'll have an insider's look at Guma's life and fortunes during more promising times.
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