Kristen Murgio and her daughter Isabella Murgio each clung to different sides of a white paper lantern before lighting it up and watching it float into the night sky at Jupiter Inlet Monday.
It was more than a symbol of hope; it was a message.
“If the boys were hopefully to see a glimpse of that light, they would know that we would not ever give up on them,” Kristen Murgio said. “We want them home safely.”
She and hundreds of other loved ones of missing teens Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen gathered at 7:30 p.m. to light candles and release lanterns near the site where the 14-year-olds were last seen.
Stephanos and Cohen went missing Friday around 1:30 p.m. in a 19-foot vessel leaving Jupiter Inlet. Crews have been searching for the boys since.
Kristen and Isabella Murgio, friends of Stephanos’ family, helped coordinate Monday night’s vigil by connecting with other friends of the boys on Facebook.
“It’s incredible that everyone came together and came out here just to get the boys home,” Isabella, 15, said. “Jupiter is not the same without them. We need to get these boys home.”
Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said at a news conference Sunday evening that he predicts the boys could last four to five days in the water under current conditions.
“I think sending out the lights is showing there’s still hope in this dark time,” said Susie Mydock, who works at Jupiter Christian School where Stephanos is a student. “Having the community come together, that’s love.”
MacKenzie Parks, who attended Jupiter Middle School with Cohen, heard about the lantern-lighting through social media.
“I’m happy so many people came together for this,” Parks said. “I just want Austin and Perry to see the lights.”
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