Dead boaters identified

TAMPA -- Two bodies of missing boaters were found 100 yards offshore in Pinellas County on Sunday morning after a nightlong search that started when the Coast Guard found an unmanned, fire-damaged 37-foot boat adrift at 9 p.m. Saturday, a mile south of MacDill Air Force Base.

One dead boater, found with a life vest partially on, was identified as Alton Earl Jones, the 56-year-old  boat owner and operator of A.J. Deep Sea Fishing Inc. Sunday was his birthday. The other dead boater was identified as Mary Hanusek. Authorities said she was found wearing a life jacket.

Coast Guard officials say they received a distress call from a Spanish-speaking boater at 8:30 p.m., seeking help. The Coast Guard deployed a boat and a helicopter, and found the burned vessel with no one aboard.

One body was found at 10:30 a.m., and the other at 11 a.m. Coast Guard officials initially believed there had been a third, but ruled that out after Sunday's recovery efforts.

-- Alexandra Zayas and Casey Cora, Times staff writers