SF Valley Couple Among 4 Missing After Charter Boat Found Submerged

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY -- Four vacationing people— including a Canoga Park couple — are missing in Alaska after their charter boat went missing, family members say.

The 30-foot aluminum charter vessel was overdue Sunday, May 28 and had last been seen earlier that day near Sitka, a community about 90 miles southwest of Juneau, according to the Coast Guard. According to the Associated Press, crews later found the boat off an island about 10 miles west of Sitka.

The search for the four missing people was suspended by the Coast Guard late Monday, May 29. The missing include Brandi Tyau, 56, of Canoga Park, California and her partner, Robert Solis, 61.

Maury Agcaoili, 57, of Waipahu, Hawaii, was found unresponsive in the water and later pronounced dead. His partner Danielle Agcaoili, 53, is among the missing boaters, as is the boat captain, Morgan Robidou, 32, of Sitka. Agcaoili is Tyau's sister.

"Despite our best efforts and those of several partner agencies, we were not able to find the four remaining individuals, " Capt. Darwin Jensen, U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Southeast Alaska said. "Suspending a search is never an easy decision. We extend our deepest sympathy to the loved ones during this difficult time."

In a statement, the charter company, Kingfisher Charters, said it was “fully cooperating with the U.S. Coast Guard in its investigation of this tragic event and hope that it furnishes answers to the questions as to how it occurred.”

The sisters’ parents and brother were also on the trip with them but were on a separate boat, according to Jim Solis, the brother of Robert Solis.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Ian Gray has said the region was experiencing 6- (1.8-meter) to 11-foot (3.35-meter) seas on Sunday.

The troopers said efforts to recover the vessel have been ongoing, with rough seas and strong winds in the area.

The Solis brothers grew up in Burbank, Calif., Jim Solis said. Solis and Tyau met in Hawaii several decades ago when Solis, a Navy diver, was stationed there as an instructor. They have a son together.