Luke Finch: Missing Cocoa Village Boy Found Safe on Boat with Dad

by Scott Wu | December 1, 2009 at 10:15 am

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Luke Finch, the boy from Cocoa village who had gone missing for 3 days, was found safe on a sailboat with his father. Luke Finch's non-custodial biological father, Paul Martikainen, took the 3-year-old boy during a supervised visit. The Coast Guard found Martikainen's boat last night, but did not move in until Tuesday morning. Luke Finch was in good health, and his father was said to be "compliant".

Luke is transferring back home aboard the cutter Crocodile.

An airplane spotted Martikainen's sailboat on radar Monday 5 pm in the Gulf of Mexico, 140 miles offshore. The searchers did not want to alarm Martikainen. Two cutters moved in at sunrise on Tuesday.

Luke Finch's father remains on the sailboat, which is being towed back to land. He is expected to face federal charges tomorrow.

The boat was 140 miles offshore and heading south when it was intercepted, but the Coast Guard does not yet know what Martikainen's intentions were.

"It's not our job, not our position to interrogate him," Close added.

The 35-year-old remains aboard the sailboat, which is being towed back to land by the Coast Guard. Authorities expect to arrest him on federal charges upon his return early tomorrow.