Search Called Off for Missing Fishermen

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy have called off the search for the seven fishermen missing since last week after their boat sank in the northern Baja during a storm.

"Despite the thorough search of the region by Mexican and U.S. search teams no signs of the missing men were found," said Rear Adm. Joseph "Pepe" Castillo, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard's 11th District in a statement on Tuesday. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of the missing men."

Two Sonoma County men are among the missing following a July 4th fishing trip that went horribly wrong. Now relatives are struggling with the agonizing wait, each day receiving a call from the U.S. Consulate telling them the same thing: "We have no news."

Many had placed their hopes on divers who were supposed to explore the sunken boat on Sunday. But so far the dive has not occurred and no one knows when it will happen.

A phone call and email to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico, was not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the family of Petaluma resident Shawn Chaddock, one of the men missing, has been on edge.

"I don’t want them to leave the families wondering," said Shawn Chaddock's brother, Darryl. "If they are down there, the families will at least have closure. We need answers."

Penngrove resident Russell Bautista, 60, is also among the missing.

The U.S. Coast Guard has conducted 10 search flights since last Monday, covering a total of 7,000 square miles of land and water with no trace of the fishermen.