Peter Donald Pilkey, 42, disappeared from Puget Sound on August 2, 1999, after his 19-foot boat was found drifting and unoccupied near Fox Island, about five miles south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. His wallet, keys, socks and shoes were left aboard, which prompted a search by the U.S. Coast Guard that included helicopters with heat-detecting infrared sensors.

Pilkey was described as an avid, capable boater and a strong swimmer in excellent physical shape, yet the extensive search turned up no trace of him or any additional clues in the area where the boat was found. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office keeps the investigation open but has been unable to determine whether his disappearance was an accident or involved other factors.

Does anyone who boated around Fox Island in late summer 1999 recall seeing Pilkey’s boat or anything unusual that day?