PORT RICHEY, Fla. — On day two of the search for Andre Nolasco, his family anxiously awaits any positive news from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The 57-year-old father of two was last seen Sunday at Nick's Park. He launched his boat around 11 a.m. after going to the bait shop. New video obtained by 10 Tampa Bay shows him in the store getting ready to leave.
His family, speaking for the first time after flying into Florida Monday night, said, "Todavia tenemos fe," meaning they still have hope. They hope the 57-year-old will be found and he's still alive.
"He's a fighter who doesn't give up," Juan Carlos Nolasco Santana said when describing his older brother.
This is the hardest moment the family has ever lived. They knew something was wrong when they were calling Andre Sunday and he wasn't answering the phone.
After meeting with the Coast Guard Tuesday, Juan Carlos says officials told him whatever happened was an accident. Andre's boat was found eight miles west of Hudson. They say his phone and one of his shoes were found in the back.
"He had fish already in the little fridge he had. It seemed like he was going back. I don't know if the boat shut off or what happened," he said.
Juan Carlos doesn't know what happened but says wires were found undone. Andre's longtime passion for being on the water and fishing is now the center of his family's heartache.
"It's hard. It's very hard because you don't know what to do. There's nothing you can do to help, just wait," he said.
Between tears, Juan Carlos says it's hard to stay positive, but they're waiting for Andre to come home and some positive news.
Andre is one of eight siblings. The rest are flying in from the Dominican Republic and New York on Wednesday. The family says the Coast Guard will let them know whether they'll be suspending the search or not sometime on Wednesday.