The parents of missing 46-year old tennis pro Darryl Fornatora are offering US$25,000 in cash in return for a lead to the whereabouts of their son. Last week, Fornatora’s wallet was found a diver who handed it in to the authorities. It contained US dollar bills with scorch marks.
According to the family, the story of Fornatora’s disappearance has changed several times. What is known is that he checked into his accommodations in Cabarete, Puerto Plata on 25 January with his friend Matt Rigby. He went surfing, then texted his mother to tell her he’d arrived safely. Then she never heard from him again.
As reported in The Inertia: “From there, the story gets stranger. Although the pair was scheduled to fly home together on January 31, Rigby changed his flight, returning to Florida on 28 January, along with Fornatora’s computer and surfboard. The next day, he called Mrs. Fornatora and told her that he hadn’t had any contact since Jan. 27.
The family told Fox News that Rigby at one point claimed there was no surf and that was why he decided to travel home and that Fornatora had stayed behind. In another report, he claimed that Fornatora had gotten upset one night as they were on their way into town together and when he looked away from Fornatora for a split second, Fornatora was gone.
As reported, Dominican authorities had stopped looking, but since the discovery of the wallet they have reopened the investigation and the family has offered the award.
Drowning has been ruled out, as Fornatora was both an experienced surfer and swimmer.
Surfer Vanishes in the Dominican Republic Under Mysterious Circumstances; $25,000 Reward Offered
