According to county documents, the wife of a well-known Florida radiation oncologist who vanished from his boat earlier this month had reportedly filed for divorce the day he disappeared.
On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast tweeted that Dr. Chaundre Cross, 49, was last seen leaving Naples Bay Resort & Marina alone on his 33-foot Sea Ray boat, the “Vitamin Sea,” on August 10.
In Collier County, his wife, SarahJo Cross, filed for divorce the same day.
On August 11, the USCG found Cross’ boat off Sanibel Island, but there was no evidence of the missing doctor.
Teams searched for a few days after the USCG Southeast found the boat 16 miles south of Sanibel Island, covering an area of roughly 13,100 square miles in over 100 hours.
“It is always a difficult decision to suspend a search and rescue case,” said Capt. Michael Kahle, commander of Sector St. Petersburg. “Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends of Dr. Cross during this difficult time.”
Cross’ stepmother Kathy Cady congratulated the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard in a Facebook post on Monday. She also thanked Cross’ “friends and the citizens of Naples who unselfishly gave their time and boats in the search for him.”
“During this time of grief, please offer prayers of support and respectful privacy for our family,” she wrote. “Although we now have a void, it will be filled with love, positivity, hope, patience, prayer, and through the Grace of God comfort. Chaundre’s three children and their mother, his father, stepmother, brothers and their wives, sister, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and long-time close friends thank you for all that was done in the rescue efforts for Chaundre K. Cross, M.D.”
Cross was last seen wearing a purple shirt and black pants and is described as 5’11 weighing 150 pounds, with a bald head and brown eyes.
