The Navy and Coast Guard called off their search for a sailor reported missing from his ship off the coast of California Sunday morning.
Gwinnett County educator Alicia McCalla said the sailor who disappeared from the U.S.S. Lake Erie is her son, Morehouse College graduate Lt. j.g. Asante McCalla. She posted an emotional video to her Facebook page Tuesday pleading for more information about the efforts to find her son.
The Navy has not confirmed the sailor’s identity.
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After an extensive four-day search over more than 16,550 square miles of water, the Navy announced that search and rescue operations ended at sunset Wednesday.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the sailor’s family during this difficult time,” said Capt. Christine O’Connell, commanding officer of the Lake Erie, in a statement. “Losing a shipmate is devastating and felt by our entire crew. We will continue to support the family in any way we can.”
According to a press release from the Navy, the sailor was first reported missing at 7 a.m. Sunday after failing to report for duty. The ship was conducting routine training operations with the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Pacific Ocean when the sailor disappeared, according to a spokesman with the 3rd Fleet.
The strike group immediately began searching for the sailor, presuming he fell overboard, a Navy spokesman said in the release.
The search included several Navy and Coast Guard aircraft and vessels.
The incident remains under investigation.
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