Donors have contributed nearly $400,000 in four days to help pay for the search for two teenage boys who went missing off the coast of Florida during a fishing trip more than a week ago.
The Coast Guard called off their search for Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, at sunset Friday night — a week after the teens’ July 24 disappearance off the coast of Jupiter.
Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor called the move a "difficult decision" and said the week-long search covered around 49,00 square nautical miles.
RELATED: Missing Teen Boaters: Moms Still Confident Austin Stephanos, Perry Cohen Will Be Found
But the teens’ families, who have appealed to the public to help search coasts from Florida to South Carolina for any sign of the boys, said they would not give up.
"I’m giving it all I got. I’m not going to stop," Austin’s father, Blu Stephanos, told NBC affiliate WCBD. "I know those boys are out there. I know they’re OK."
Austin and Perry’s families have set up a GoFundMe account in order to reimburse searchers for the fuel they use in their own aircraft and boats while searching for the boys. The fund has raised $394,492 in four days, including a $25,000 donation from YETI Coolers.
A YETI cooler was missing from the boat when it was found capsized 67 miles east of Ponce de Leon Inlet, Florida, on Sunday. Family members and friends hope the boys, who are described as experienced boaters, used the cooler and other materials to fashion a raft.
"We are going through a lot of money really fast. I think we spent more than $100,000 yesterday," Stephanos said. "It scares the hell out of me."
