Possible Boat-jacking in JD!

You will NOT see a news report of this! However, yesterday a friend of ours and his son were escorting some tourists on a dive near Costa Caribe Resort. Our friend took the divers down while his (20 yr old-approx.) son stayed with the 25 ft launch. When the divers surfaced about 1 hour later the launch and the young lad were nowhere to be found!! The divers were eventually picked up by another boat and dropped off at Costa Caribe.
A search was begun by the fishermen of Guayacanes until it became too dark and the sea too rough to continue. The search continues today! So far no trace has been found of either the boat or the young man!
Our friend fears the boat has been hi-jacked and his son killed as this is known to happen as the hi-jackers will approach in a small yola, overpower the captain of the large launch, kill him then make off with the launch. The yola is then sunk away from the scene of the hi-jackining and the launch is used for an illegal run to Puerto Rico.
There were two boats found on a beach in Puerto Rico this morning and these are being checked to see if one of them is the missing boat.
It is possible that the young man simply took the boat and used it to transport people to PR.
While his father hopes this is not the case, he is frantic with worry as he knows that his son has been involved with drugs and there is the possibility that he left his father and the divers in the water (they were close to shore and could have swum in) and absconded with the launch. This too is under investigation!
I ask that those of you who may send a prayer that this is not the case in this instance and that the young man will be found alive and well.
On behalf of a very worried father, I thank you in advance and will keep you posted with any news!

Waited to post until I had the good, the bad and the ugly

to report......
The good news is that the boat has been located and our friends' son is assumed alive and well......which brings me to the bad news! The boat WAS one of those found beached in Puerto Rico Tuesday morning.
The ugly is that our friend is heart broken by what his son has done. He can't believe his son took the boat and left him with two divers in the drink. Word on the street is that the whole operation was well planned- that son had maps and more than adequate fuel for the trip. Unknown how many others were travelling with him but word is there were at least six co-conspirators.
If my info is correct (which I believe it to be) the boat was owned by the person who owns Casa della Pescadores in Guayacanes and the divers that were dumped were renting from him. My friends' son had obviously been planning this for some time (he has been working only a short while as Captain of this boat but has worked before in the same capacity for others) and was awaiting an opportune time to put the plan in action.
My sympathies to the boat owner who has lost a significant investment as well as the damage to his reputation (yes...I'm sure the divers who were left in the sea will NOT speak kindly of the incident and will definitely NOT be recommending the DR or the locale to their friends back home!)
My heart goes out to our friend who was betrayed by his oldest offspring.
Knowing the young man personally I can attest to the fact that he was a helpful,pleasant, responsible young man UNTIL recently when he apparently became involved with drugs and those associated with the drug trade and their unscrupulous "friends"!

My thanks also to those who took the time to offer a prayer!

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! There WAS a HI_JACKING!

The boat found in Puerto Rico had a "similar" name but was NOT the boat carrying our friend's son! Son has been discovered ALIVE, in hospital and recovering from his ordeal!
He was hi-jacked at gunpoint! forced to guide boat to a location where 80 kilos of cocaine were loaded then set course for Puerto Rico! He was dumped at sea just past Isla Catalanita then subsequently picked up much later by some fishermen from the area.
Apparently the boat carrying the perpetrators and cocaine was apprehended by police.
Family received word late yesterday......Father is greatly relieved and ecstatic that his worst fears HAD NOT been realized!!
Son hopes to be re-united with his family in a few days once he is able to be released from hospital!
I do not know which police force apprehended the boat but I will post if that information becomes available!
Praise be to whomever!! :classic:

OK Berzin....here's the scoop as it happened!

Father takes two divers diving.....with son acting as Captain of the boat.
Father surfaces with said divers to find boat & son missing. Father & divers picked up by passing boat from Sheraton and transported to Costa Caribe where someone then transports them back to Guayacanes. Father suspects boat & son have been hi-jacked and a search is launched from Guayacanes with calls being made to Catalina Island and Saona seeking sightings of said boat. Nothing is found and search is called off due to darkness and rough sea. Following morning search resumes and news reports are heard on the local media of two boats being found that morning in Puerto Rico. Calls are made seeking info on the boats found (to find out the names on the boats to determine if one is the missing boat). Info is recieved from Catalina and Saona that the boat was seen passing both those islands. Rumour spreds through Guayacanes that son had maps ( and the boat was carrying enough fuel to have made the trip) and father fears the worst. Info comes from Puerto Rico that one of the boats indeed has the name of the boat missing. Father believes the worst and informs his friends of his son's betrayal.
Last night father recieves a phone call and learns son is in hospital and is given the details of his rescue by the fishermen who picked him up out of the waters near Isla Catalanita as well as the news that police apprehended the boat carrying the perpetrators and 80 kgs of cocaine. Info is also received from PR that the name of the boat located there is similar but NOT the same (communication error - hey people are human especially at an emotional time).
How many perpetrators there were was not relayed to the father nor whether the boat carried illegals seeking refuge in Puerto Rico. Hence my post that I would post any further info if any became available.

HB....see the thread I'm starting with your call letters in it!!

Talked to the father in person today!

He says the report of cocaine is a "mentira"! When his son was transfered to hospital in San Pedro and he went to find him , he was "arrested" while the police investigated.......he was only held for about 6 hours before being released and he says if drugs had been found he would still be in jail!! He also told us that there were two other individuals rescued from the water with his son (who told father that he didn't know either of the other two men).
None of the three are talking (probably either don't know anything or are afraid to say anything) so no one really knows what happened.
All father knows is that the boat is in San Pedro harbour minus the motor and son is now resting at home!
Father was treated last night for dehydration due to inability to keep anything down for several days because of worry and stress. He was well enough today to fulfill his duties while accompaning a group on a tour to Catalina (we were also part of the employees of the tour company).
So know you know as much as I and as much as the father........