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FBI Investigating Disappearance At Sea Of Florida Woman

June 13, 2017 Florida Boat Accident Law

The FBI and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the disappearance of a 41-year-old Florida woman 100 km off Key West. Isabella Hellman and her husband, Lewis Bennett, married in February and departed on a Caribbean vacation on their 37-foot catamaran with planned stops in St. Maarten and Cuba as part of a belated honeymoon.

According to Bennett, the couple left Cuba at about 5:30 p.m. on May 14 and were 60 miles off the Florida Keys when their boat struck an unknown object and began taking water. Bennett claims he was asleep while his wife was on watch and he was awakened by a collision at approximately 1:00 a.m. Per Bennett, Hellman was nowhere to be found leaving him no choice but to jump onto a lifeboat and call for help. The Coast Guard briefly inspected the boat and searched for Hellman for three days with no luck. Earlier this week, the Coast Guard reported that they lost track of the boat even though they had attached a beacon to it to not lose track of it.

Per reports, Hellman and Bennett often argued about the raising of their nine-month old daughter, Emelia, and about moving to Australia, which Bennett insisted upon but Hellman refused.

The FBI’s investigation has expanded to include Bennett. Hellman’s family has started a Facebook page-Together for Isabella, about their search for her, pleading others to share her picture.