The family of Spanish-American sailor Miguel Campoy has initiated a crowdfunding campaign to finance a comprehensive private investigation into his mysterious disappearance near South Abaco six months ago. The 56-year-old mariner vanished on September 6 after departing aboard his 44-foot blue-hulled sailboat named Hella, with his final communication indicating calm seas and an unexpectedly prolonged journey.
Following the suspension of official search operations by both the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the United States Coast Guard, the family has exhausted considerable resources funding private aerial and maritime searches. The campaign aims to raise €18,000 to pursue advanced investigative measures including specialized satellite imagery analysis, legal action to obtain crucial mobile phone records, and enhanced maritime traffic pattern assessment.
To date, investigators have recovered only Campoy’s support dinghy containing personal belongings and identification documents, while the primary vessel remains missing without confirmed debris. Advanced satellite analysis has identified another vessel transiting through the area approximately when contact was lost, though authorities have been unable to establish communication with the ship’s captain or operating company.
Miriam Campoy, the sailor’s sister, emphasizes that while no allegations of wrongdoing are being made against any vessel, the family believes it reasonable to determine whether maritime witnesses observed unusual activity. The family faces additional challenges in obtaining critical mobile phone data from service providers and manufacturers, with neither Spanish nor Bahamian authorities successfully securing this information.
The family has now engaged U.S. legal representation to pursue court orders for accessing mobile records and last-known location data. While expressing appreciation for Bahamian officials’ courtesy, Campoy noted that resource constraints may have limited the official investigation’s scope.
The raised funds will be exclusively dedicated to continuing search operations, investigative efforts, and offering a monetary reward for verifiable information regarding Campoy’s disappearance. The family has explicitly dismissed suggestions that the sailor staged his disappearance, citing his strong family connections and planned meetings with friends shortly after his vanishing.