TAMPA (FOX 13) -
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials confirmed that a body was found Thursday
morning during a search for a missing Tampa
boater.
Officials say it is in connection with the overnight search, but they would
not identify the body.
Family members at the scene Wednesday night told FOX 13's Josh Cascio that the boater authorities were looking
for was 30-year-old Chris Zutes of Tampa.
Officials have called off the search.
His boat crashed into a seawall in the Beach
Park area off Westshore Blvd. in Tampa, and multiple agencies spent the night
looking for the man.
Officials said Zutes was in his boat between the Howard Frankland and Gandy
bridges around 7:30 p.m. After hitting the wall, he was tossed overboard.
The boat was recovered a few hours after that, but there was no sign of
Zutes. Officials also say the boat may have veered off and hit Zutes after he
fell overboard.
It appears the boat was unmanned when it hit the seawall.
The Coast Guard, Fish and Wildlife and Tampa
police officers were out by air, on the ground and with divers in the water.
Reports from the scene indicate people in a second boat saw the crash and
called 911.
