No clues in boat to missing Fla. man

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- What was found on a beached boat and what was not adds to the mysterious disappearance of a South Florida millionaire two months ago, authorities say.

Guma Aguiar wasn't aboard when his 31-foot boat ran aground with the engine running on a Fort Lauderdale beach on June 20, five hours after he put to sea, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

A leather Jewish prayer box was among the items Coast Guard investigators found on the boat. His watch and wedding ring were found at home.

Also found on the boat: all of the craft's life jackets.

Notes complied from a 48-hour search for Aguiar don't prove he committed suicide, said Cmdr. Darren Caprara, chief of response for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami.

"The only facts we had were GPS coordinates," Caprara said. "We don't truly know where something went wrong."

Friends and relatives say Aguiar loved his wife and children, but that he also struggled with mental health issues and his wealth was threatened by lawsuits.

Can Aguiar's intent be determined from what he left on the boat, and what he left at home?

"I can only speculate that when he left the house, he was upset and took things that gave him solace," said his mother, Ellen Aguiar.

Fort Lauderdale police still consider the case open, and Aguiar a missing person.