Exactly one month ago, on December 19, 2025, Randall Spivey, 57, from Fort Myers, and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier, 33, from Boca Raton, headed out for a fishing trip. They never came home.
That same night, their families realized something was wrong and called the US Coast Guard. The search started immediately, but by December 22, three days later, the Coast Guard called off the search. The FBI stepped in after that, but there have been no updates on the case.
Usually, when high-profile people go missing, the news is relentless with stories, press conferences, maybe even a few leads. This time? Nothing but silence.
Here’s where things stand.
Randall, a longtime Fort Myers attorney, and Brandon, his nephew, left before dawn on Friday, December 19. They planned to be home by nightfall. When they didn’t check in, their families reached out for help around 9 p.m.
The next day, crews found their boat, the “Unstopp-A-Bull,” a 42-foot Freeman, drifting about 70 miles off Naples. The engine was still running, but the boat was empty. Two life jackets were missing.
There were no signs of trouble or foul play. No damage, no blood, no evidence of what happened. The US Coast Guard and volunteers searched nearly 6,700 square miles over four days. By Monday evening, December 22, they called off the search, calling it one of their hardest decisions. The FBI took over, but the trail’s cold.
The Timeline
The boat itself, the “Unstopp-A-Bull,” turned up adrift with those two life jackets gone. That’s about all anyone really knows. No clues, no answers, just a lot of questions.
After four exhausting days, the US Coast Guard ended the search. Captain Corrie Sergent, who leads the Coast Guard in St. Petersburg, said it was the toughest call of her career. She thanked everyone — crew, partners, volunteers — who put in all that effort and heart. The Coast Guard extended its deepest condolences to the families, who have been living through a nightmare.
Local folks jumped in to help too. Brandon and Randy were supposed to be fishing about 102 miles out, but something went terribly wrong. Their families knew it the minute they didn’t come back. The Coast Guard used GPS data from the boat’s tracker and eventually found it upright, engines still in gear, about 70 miles offshore near Marco Island and Flamingo. No sign of Randy or Brandon, just two missing life jackets and a sliver of hope.
A Coast Guard helicopter spotted the boat around midnight on December 20. A rescue swimmer dropped in, shut off the engines, and anchored the boat to stop it from drifting away.
By Monday, search teams had focused on a 20-mile-wide patch of ocean about 100 miles from Naples. They searched by air and sea, but came up empty. The family put out a statement full of gratitude, overwhelmed by the support from friends, neighbors, and even strangers. It meant the world to them.
Who are Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier?
If you ask Randy’s wife, Tricia, she’ll tell you he’s the kind of man who’s always there for others. For 30 years, he’s been a Fort Myers attorney, fighting for people who needed help the most. He’s a loyal husband, a caring dad, a doting uncle. Family means everything to him, and fishing with Brandon was their favorite way to spend time together. The way the community came together to search says a lot about how much people love them.
The family describes Randy as “an incredible, devoted, and loved husband and father.” They summed it up perfectly: “He has also dedicated his 30 years as an attorney in Southwest Florida to helping those who are injured. We are so grateful to all of our community for helping us to bring him home.”
Brandon Billmaier is a newlywed, and, like his uncle, he’s a Florida attorney. Family and friends are desperate to have him back home.
Brandon worked out of Boca Raton and joined the Shiner Law Group in August 2023. When news broke about the disappearance, the firm released a statement on December 22. They called the situation “surreal” and said everyone is still hoping and praying for Brandon and Randy’s safe return. They asked the public to keep both men in their thoughts as the search and investigation continue.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office gave some additional details about the men. Randall Spivey is white, approximately 6’1″, weighs 245 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a dark shirt. Brandon Billmaier is white, 6’2”, 250 pounds, with strawberry blond hair, brown eyes.
More questions than answers
When they found the boat, it was still running. Fishing gear left out, like someone just walked away. Two life jackets missing, maybe they had them on. But why would two experienced fishermen both end up in the water?
Some speculated that one man must have fallen in, and the other jumped in to help, not thinking the boat would keep going. Spivey’s son doesn’t buy it. He says his dad was careful, knew every rule, and would never just jump after someone. Both guys had years of experience on the water. “Whatever happened, it’s like a one-in-a-million thing,” his son said.
What about the missing fishing gear?
The Coast Guard removed it from the deck for safety, which explains why it was missing. There was no sign of foul play, piracy, kidnapping, no ransom notes, nothing solid.
Who’s investigating this case?
The US Coast Guard was the first called to handle the case as a search and rescue. The FBI took over when they ended their search on December 22, 2025, or so it was reported. That same day, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook, saying the FBI was now in charge. Later they amended their statement, saying they were still working with other agencies.
On January 2, 2026, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Sgt. Sarah Rodriguez issued a statement. “It is standard practice for the FBI to assist our law enforcement partners if we have a tool, tactic, or technique that could benefit their investigations.”
Spokesperson for the FBI, Andrea Aprea, wrote in an emailed statement on Jan. 2, “We assisted the US Coast Guard and Lee County Sheriff’s Office in the search for the missing boaters and will be ready again to lend our assistance if information develops to suggest a violation of federal law.”
Rodriguez also reminded everyone: state waters stretch out nine miles from shore, but once you hit twelve miles, you’re in international waters.
So far, there’s been no official word. No answers about rumors of a voicemail from one of the men’s phones after they vanished, and no updates regarding new information from investigators.
And the lack of news coverage makes everything murkier. In a case like this, you’d expect regular updates, press conferences, or some follow-up coverage. Instead, there’s silence. No updates, no insight into what they found on the boat, no hint if foul play is still on the table.
Two men with families vanished without a trace. Their boat kept running with nobody on board, and the story went quiet. Usually, people obsess over missing-person stories. Here, the case received a huge federal search and then nothing. No additional details, no closure. Just two men gone, and a lot of questions with no answers. Nothing but silence.
