Ziad Abdeen.Photo:Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
The body of a missing 49-year-old Florida doctor who disappeared while paddleboarding Friday has been recovered.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Officesaid in a release on Sundaythat deputies assigned to the Dive Unit and Marine Unit found the body of Ziad Abdeen north of the Dunedin Marina in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Abdeen was reported missing to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on Friday when relatives became concerned that he hadn’t returned, authorities said.His family searched for him in parts of Pinellas County, where he was known to have started paddleboarding. They located his vehicle in the Dunedin Boat Club’s parking lot, the sheriff’s office added.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, Dive Team and Flight Unit were involved in the search, along with the Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“He was last seen Friday, between 11 a.m. and noon, on an inflatable blue and white paddleboard wearing dark shorts and a light blue t-shirt near Dunedin Marina,” the Coast Guard said in itsnews release.
The agency said a coworker shared that Abdeen “was stranded on an island and was going to try to make it back at 1:30 p.m.” It was the last message anyone received. Around 3 p.m. local time, authorities received a 911 call reporting that his paddleboard had washed ashore.
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Before the announcement of the discovery of Abdeen’s body, the Coast Guard announced it had suspended the search for Abdeen Saturday, pending new information at the time, and that the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office would resume the search Sunday.
“The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one,” said Chief Warrant Officer Dennise Werre, per the Coat Guard’s news release Saturday. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Ziad Abdeen.”
“On behalf of the entire HCA Florida Bayonet Hospital Team I’d like to offer our condolences and deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr. Ziad Abdeen,” he said. “Please know that we are thinking of them and keeping them foremost in our thoughts not only today but in the critical days, weeks and months to come.”
“We will have resources available on site for the next few days so that those who knew him as a colleague and friend have access to the care they need,” his statement added.
source: people.com
