On August 8, 2019, 60-year-old Hector Lino Mendez and three other men disappeared after departing on a boat from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The group was aboard a 22-foot white Proline boat named "WEPA". The men, identified as Hector Mendez, Hector Mendez Jr. Javier Mendez and Victor Goitia were expected to return to Villa Marina in Fajardo that afternoon but never arrived.
Their last known location was between the islands of Icacos and Isleta Marina. Around 5 p.m.
on the day of their disappearance, a towing and salvage company in Fajardo received a distress call from the "WEPA" reporting mechanical problems near Icacos Cay. However, when the tow boat arrived at the location approximately 30 minutes later, there was no sign of the vessel or its occupants. This prompted a large-scale search and rescue operation.
The United States Coast Guard, along with Puerto Rican police and other local agencies, launched an extensive five-day search for the missing men and their boat. The search covered over 22,000 square nautical miles of the waters east of Puerto Rico, between Fajardo, Vieques, and Culebra, and extended more than 80 miles off the northern coast of the island. Despite the significant effort involving both air and sea assets, no trace of the four men or the "WEPA" was found. The search was ultimately suspended at sunset on August 13, 2019. Hector Mendez is described as a Hispanic male with gray or partially gray, thick hair, a beard, and a mustache, and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he was 5 feet tall and weighed approximately 175 pounds. The case remains open and is being handled by the Policia de Puerto Rico.Last Seen: Aug 8, 2019
