The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

RELATIVES of an elderly man missing at sea for more than a week yesterday said they are hoping that a miracle will happen and 72-year-old Tony Hepburn, pictured, will be found. 

With that, Central Detective Unit chief Paul Rolle told The Tribune that an investigation with several leads is still underway. 

On May 5, Mr Hepburn, who had planned to photograph nesting birds at Goulding Cay, disappeared from Clifton Bay. Two hours after a couple of men working near the dock on Jaws Beach claim to have seen a man in a kayak on the water, a woman walking her dog says she saw a yellow kayak up on the beach in Clifton Heritage Park near Jaws Beach. She placed the time at around 10am on Sunday, May 5. But the kayak again disappeared from the beach. It was next discovered early Monday morning by Mr Hepburn’s son-in-law, Gian Pinosch, in a cave near Blackbeard’s steps further down the coast near Clifton Pier.

Mr Pinosch said he was searching for his father-in-law on the beach at about 7:30am Monday. The Defence Force was already out patrolling the area. Mr Pinosch then cruised down the coastline when on passing the wide-mouthed cave near Blackbeard’s steps he saw a suspicious object deep inside. He reversed his boat, jumped overboard and waded into the cave. Way in the back, he said, in the cave’s second large chamber the kayak was spotted upside down. It was pulled out and the surrounding area thoroughly searched. Nothing was found.

From where he was last reported missing, The Tribune understands that Royal Bahamas Defence Force officials ran several simulations of tide and wind direction to determine where he would most likely have been found.

According to the results of those tests, the fact that the kayak was discovered on the south western side of New Providence fits with their scenario that he may have been detached from the kayak. The craft would have then drifted, with the tide and winds, to the location where it was first discovered on the beach.

It is understood that where he was reported missing was a very treacherous part of water. It is thought that Mr Hepburn was wearing a green shirt, khaki or blue shorts, a beige coloured hat and a yellow and blue life jacket.

Mr Hepburn is 6’3’’ tall, Caucasian, had gray/brown hair, brown eyes and weighs about 200 pounds. 

He was carrying a black Nikon D300 camera with a 400 MM Nikon telephoto lens that he used for bird photography, and a pair of binoculars. Other than the kayak there has been no trace of him, his large camera, his binoculars or his oars.

Persons with any information are asked to contact the police, Sarah Hepburn Pinosch at 457-3507 or Gian Pinosch at 457-1111.