The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE family of missing Spanish-American sailor Miguel Campoy has hired Bahamian lawyers and obtained more precise technical information about his last known position as it intensifies efforts to determine what happened to him nearly a year after he vanished between Abaco and New Providence.

Mr Campoy disappeared on September 6, 2025, after leaving South Abaco aboard his sailboat Hella bound for New Providence.

His sister, Miriam Campoy, told The Tribune the family has continued examining maritime traffic from the day he disappeared and is pursuing records through legal channels after failing to obtain some information directly.

The family retained Bahamian lawyers in May and is seeking information concerning vessels that travelled through the area as well as data from Mr Campoy’s mobile phone.

“We're not accusing anyone,” Ms Campoy said, “but we want to have that information.”

She said relatives have also obtained what she described as a more precise geographic reference for the final period of her brother’s voyage using Starlink information.

The family has identified commercial vessels that travelled through the area around the time Mr Campoy disappeared and is appealing to sailors, fishermen and people who were aboard vessels in the New Providence Channel that afternoon to review photographs, videos, GPS records, logbooks and messages.

Relatives believe someone may have unknowingly captured an image of Hella or information that did not appear important at the time.

“Maybe they took a photo,” Ms Campoy said, “or, you know, not to Miguel, but his vessel, but maybe to the sea, and he was there, but they didn't realize.”

She stressed that the family is not accusing any of the vessels identified during its review, but wants their crews contacted to determine whether they saw Mr Campoy’s sailboat or anything else that could assist the investigation.

The family is also trying to obtain Mr Campoy’s telephone records, including his last known location, calls and other activity before communication stopped.

Ms Campoy said relatives had been unable to obtain those records themselves and are now relying on their lawyers. They want to know whether Mr Campoy made or attempted any calls after relatives last spoke with him.

“It's a little bit of distress to have to get into lawyers to just to know,” she said, “just to try to understand why one of our brothers has disappeared basically.”

Mr Campoy, who was 56 when he disappeared, was an experienced sailor and qualified yacht captain who lived in Miami with his wife.

His last known contact with relatives was around 6pm on September 6, when he indicated that conditions were calm and that the journey was taking longer than expected.

Relatives reported him missing the following day, prompting searches by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and United States Coast Guard.

Only his support dinghy was recovered. Personal belongings and identification documents were found inside, while no confirmed debris from Hella has been publicly reported.

Ms Campoy said she understood responsibility for the case had since shifted from the Defence Force to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, but said the family has received no update from police since December.

“The Royal Police Force, which is in charge, they haven't given us any feedback at all,” she said. “Since December we know nothing about it.”

She said the family also does not know whether forensic examinations, including fingerprint checks, were conducted on the belongings recovered from the dinghy.

“We don't even know if they have seen if there were some fingerprints or anything on on his things,” Ms Campoy said. “They never gave us a feedback about all his things that they found out.”

She said relatives understood police were handling numerous cases but wanted confirmation that the investigation remained active.

Ms Campoy also said her brother’s case had been referred to the US Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Nearly a year after his disappearance, she said the family intends to continue pursuing every available record before accepting that no further information can be found.

“We keep fighting,” Ms Campoy said. “We keep fighting basically because we would like to know what it happens.”