Acclaimed cancer expert feared dead after vanishing in Gulf of Mexico eight days ago
Harvard-trained oncologist Chaundre Cross has been missing since 10 August
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Your support makes all the difference.Hopes are fading of finding an acclaimed Florida cancer doctor and researcher who has been missing in the Gulf of Mexico for more than a week.
Dr Chaundre Cross, 49, was last seen leaving Naples Bay Marina on 10 August on his 33-foot boat Vitamin Sea, officials said.
Coast Guard officials said in a statement they located Dr Cross’s boat the next day floating 16 miles south of Sanibel Island, off the coast of Fort Myers.
A two and a half day search of about 13,000 square miles of ocean using a Jayhawk helicopter, Hercules fixed wing aircraft and two patrol boats and a “fleet of private boats” failed to turn up any sign of Dr Cross, and the search was called off on Sunday (14 August).
“It is always a difficult decision to suspend a search and rescue case,” St Petersburg Coast Guard Captain Michael Kahle said in a statement.
“Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends of Dr Cross during this difficult time.”
Have you seen this missing person?
— CollierCountySheriff (@CollierSheriff) August 11, 2022
Chaundre Cross, 49, was last seen on his boat - a 33-foot Sea Ray with “Vitamin Sea” on the back - leaving Naples Bay Marina around 7:30 this morning. He hasn’t returned and family members are concerned. https://t.co/WDsjxcHDZj pic.twitter.com/ATzWrhCuzW
Dr Cross trained at Harvard Medical School and worked as a radiation oncologist at GenesisCare Florida and served on several national boards including the American Cancer Society, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also served as a prostate cancer expert on Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson advisory boards.
Reports emerged that Dr Cross’s wife Sarah Jo Cross filed for divorce in the Collier County Court on the day he went missing.
In a statement posted to Facebook, his stepmother Kathy Cady wrote that the “unexpected loss of a family member leaves an indescribable void”.
She thanked the Coast Guard and law enforcement for their efforts in trying to find Dr Cross, who had three children.
“During this time of grief, please offer prayers of support and respectful privacy for our family,” Ms Cady wrote.
Dr Cross grew up in Houston, his grandfather was a county judge in Kansas, and his mother Marquita Cross was a professional violinist who played with Sammy David Jr, Led Zeppelin and Beyonce, according to an obituary.
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