A distinguished Florida doctor went missing last Tuesday after he was last spotted boating away from the Sanibel coast. Officials say his boat was located on Thursday by a U.S. Coast Guard and thus declared missing.
The 49-year-old doctor, Chaundre Cross, is a radiation oncologist. A Twitter post from the U.S. Southeast Coast Guard on Thursday showed that Cross left the Naples Bay Resort & Marina on a 33-foot Sea Ray dubbed the “Vitamin Sea.”
Cross’s unmanned vessel was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico between Naples and Mexico Island. Authorities say that Coast Guard crews from Fort Myers Beach, Air Station, Cutter Crocodile, and Air Station Clearwater were involved in a search.
“The Coast Guard searched through the night with no results,” an Aug. 12 post stated. “Crews from Station Fort Myers Beach and Air Station Clearwater have continued searches this morning and will through the day.”
A Twitter post from Collier County Sheriff’s Office announced the news on Wednesday and released photos asking for anyone to identify Cross. The disappearance of Cross led to his family becoming increasingly worried. “He hasn’t returned and family members are concerned,” read the post.
Cross is president of the Board of the Cancer Alliance of Naples. He held many positions and is an expert in prostate, breast, and brain cancers. According to his biography on Genesis Care, he previously served as a member of the Board for Collier County P.L.A.N. and the American Cancer Society of Naples.
He has degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Texas and Southwestern Medical Center and completed his residency at Harvard Medical School.
The search is still ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with information about Cross’s whereabouts to contact CCSO at 239-252-9300.
