CIPRIANO, Frank
CIPRIANO, Frank (c. 1965-2010)
In the News~
'August 9, 2010 [LAT]: “Coast Guard ends search for missing Catalina boater. The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday called off its efforts to find a missing boater off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, ending a nearly 24-hour search. Frank Cipriano, 45, has been missing since about 10:45 a.m. Sunday, when his shipmates on The Indecent Proposal, a vessel anchored in Cherry Cove, woke up to find that he was no longer aboard. The Indecent Proposals dinghy was found about a mile away in Eagle Reef. Two Coast Guard cutters and a helicopter scoured about 144 square miles of ocean, according to spokesman Matthew Schofield, but they found no trace of Cipriano. Cipriano is about 160 pounds and was last seen wearing a polo T-shirt and black board shorts, according to the Coast Guard.”
August 9, 2013 [Orange County Register]: “ SANTA CATALINA ISLAND – Rescue teams were searching Sunday for an Orange County man whose boat was found drifting about a mile offshore from the island cove where he was staying overnight. Frank Cipriano, from the Newport Beach area, anchored his 46-foot-long powerboat in Cherry Cove on Santa Catalina Island on Saturday night; he was with a family who hired him to pilot the watercraft, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Cipriano told the family he was going to nearby Isthmus Cove in his smaller boat, a dinghy, presumably for supplies, said Coast Guard Lt. Aaron Dwoskin. Cipriano took two dogs with him. When the family of four woke up Sunday morning on the larger vessel, the dogs were back on the boat, but Cipriano and the dinghy were gone. By 10:45 a.m., the family grew concerned and contacted authorities. "They didn't think it was unusual when they didn't see him around in the morning – until they were ready to get going," Dwoskin said. Search teams found Cipriano's dinghy about a mile offshore near a diving spot called Eagle Reef, but Cipriano was not on board. The U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department harbor patrols spent all day Sunday searching for Cipriano, covering 400 to 500 square miles by 6 p.m., the Coast Guard said. Four watercraft and two helicopters were involved in the search. Two of the watercraft were expected to continue searching all night, and the helicopters were expected to resume at dawn Monday. Rescue teams also will revisit the same areas they've already covered. "We don't know what time he went in, but if he was wearing a life jacket, his chances (of being found alive) are increased," Coast Guard Lt. Anastacia Thorsson said. Diving teams also searched for a body underwater in the Eagle Reef area, Dwoskin said. Cipriano is described as in his late 30s, about 160 pounds, wearing black board shorts and a polo-style T-shirt. He is from Newport Beach or a neighboring city; authorities are still working to confirm his exact address, Thorsson said. There is no evidence of foul play, Thorsson said. The Coast Guard is asking boaters to immediately call 911 if they see a man resembling Cipriano. "We also would like to remind people if they are boating, to have their life jacket on," Thorsson said.”
August 13, 2013 [Orange County Register]: “A body found a few days ago near Catalina Island was recovered in the same area where a Newport Beach boater had been reported missing, Coast Guard and police authorities confirmed Saturday. Frank Cipriano was reported missing Sunday from Santa Catalina Island after taking off in a small boat to retrieve supplies for a family who had hired him to pilot a 46-foot powerboat. Search teams found Cipriano's dinghy about a mile offshore near a diving spot called Eagle Reef, but Cipriano was not on board. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search for Cipriano late Monday. On Saturday, Coast Guard Lt. Aaron Dwoskin confirmed that a “body was recovered at Lions Head, northeast of Cherry Cove” on Wednesday. The body, who authorities had not identified, was found on rocks. Cipriano, 45, had last anchored his powerboat in Cherry Cove on Santa Catalina Island on Saturday night. When he left for supplies that night, Cipriano took two dogs with him. However, when the family of four woke up on Sunday morning, Cipriano was gone, but the dogs were on the boat. The family reported him missing, sparking a search-and-rescue effort Sunday and Monday. The Los Angeles Coroner’s office, which was handling the autopsy, said the case had been turned over to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation. Orange County Sheriff’s officials did not return calls seeking comment Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department harbor patrols spent all day Sunday searching for Cipriano, covering 400 to 500 square miles by 6 p.m., the Coast Guard said. Four watercraft and two helicopters were involved in the search.”
August 16, 2010 [ ]: “AVALON, Calif. — The Los Angeles County coroner says a body recovered off Santa Catalina Island a week ago is that of a boater who went missing more than a week ago. The U.S. Coast Guard says Frank Cipriano's body was recovered last Wednesday, three days after the boat captain was reported missing from a 46-foot yacht anchored in Cherry Cove. Investigators say the 45-year-old Cipriano and his two dogs were going to Two Harbors for supplies in a dinghy. The dogs were found on the yacht but the dinghy was found empty at Eagle Reef, about a mile from Cherry Cove. A 24-hour search was futile. The Orange County Sheriff's Department handled the investigation because Cipriano lived in Newport Beach. An investigator says there is no indication of foul play.”
August 16, 2010 [OCR]: “The body of a Newport Beach man who disappeared last week has been found, officials confirmed Monday. Frank Cipriano's body was found near Santa Catalina Island Wednesday in the same area he had gone missing Sunday. Cipriano was 45. The cause of his death is still under investigation. Cipriano was reported missing Sunday from Catalina after taking off in a small boat to retrieve supplies for a family who had hired him to pilot a 46-foot powerboat. Search teams found Cipriano's dinghy about a mile offshore near a diving spot called Eagle Reef, but Cipriano was not on board. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search for Cipriano late Monday. On Wednesday, the Coast Guard found his body "at Lions Head, northeast of Cherry Cove," Coast Guard Lt. Aaron Dwoskin said. Cipriano had last anchored his powerboat in Cherry Cove on Santa Catalina Island last Saturday night. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office confirmed Monday that the body was Cipriano's. His official cause of death was still pending. Investigator Ray Wert of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, who handled the missing person case, said that there was "no indication whatsoever of any foul play at all" in the circumstances around the death. Wert said he had not seen Cipriano's body and did not know if there was any trauma to it. Any investigation into the death would be handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, he said. Det. Tammy Abraham of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that no investigation into the death had been assigned. When Cipriano left for supplies that night, he took two dogs with him. However, when the family of four woke up on Sunday morning, Cipriano was gone, but the dogs were on the boat, officials said. The family reported him missing, sparking a search-and-rescue effort Sunday and Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department harbor patrols spent all day Sunday searching for Cipriano, covering 400 to 500 square miles by 6 p.m., the Coast Guard said. Four watercraft and two helicopters were involved in the search.”
