Local search continues for missing boy

ST. PETERSBURG - The Coast Guard and St. Petersburg police are now actively searching for Paul Martikainen and his 3-year-old son Luke Finch after police say Martikainen took off with the boy from Cocoa, Florida Saturday.

Those who know him say Paul Martikainen was involved in a bitter divorce and a custody battle over his 3-year-old son Luke Finch. Even so, they say what happened Saturday was still a big surprise.

"We had no indication that this was going to happen at all; no indication he was going to take the kid with him. He never mentioned that," said Jim Bradford, an acquaintance of Martikainen's and manager of The Salt Creek Marina in St. Petersburg.

Police say Martikainen took off with his son from a supervised visit in Cocoa where the boy's mother, Christa Finch, lives. Since then, Finch says she's been worried sick.

"This is his 'UhOh' and I know he misses his 'UhOh' because he doesn't even go to sleep without him. And whenever Lukey would have to be away, I always told him he was in mommy's heart and he'd say mommy you're in my heart," said the boy's mom as she held Luke's stuffed bear.

Now police and the Coast Guard are actively looking for Martikainen and the 3-year-old.

The 35-year-old father was last seen leaving The Salt Creek Marina in St. Petersburg on a boat he recently purchased.

"I saw the child as he was making a turn. He was, I guess, maybe coming out the boat and he said no stay inside," said Gabriel Guzman who works at the marina.

Marina manager Jim Bradford says about a week ago, Martikainen bought a GPS system and a depth finder and strangely painted the boat a battleship gray color. All things, he says, that now in retrospect make sense.

"It would of course blend in at night. It would be hard to spot a gray boat and that's the only reason somebody would do something like that," Bradford said.

"I was devastated. I just couldn't believe what was happening," said Debra Van Skiver of Neptune Towing and Recovery.

Vanskiver called police when she saw Martikainen's picture on the news Saturday night.

Vanskiver says she sold Martikainen the boat. Now she and others are concerned for the boy.

Martikainen, she says, has very little sailing experience.

"I'm sure what Paul did he was trying to do out of love, but it's a situation that is really lead to potential jeopardy," added Vanskiver.