Victor Marquis Cooper, 26, went missing off Clearwater, Florida, after a February 28–March 1, 2009 boating accident. He and three other men — Corey Smith, William Bleakley, and Nick Schuyler — were on Cooper’s 21-foot vessel when the anchor became stuck. Cooper put the boat in forward to free it, the boat took on water and capsized, and all four were thrown overboard.

The men clung to the overturned hull as temperatures fell. A Coast Guard search was launched when they failed to return. Nick Schuyler was found alive on March 2, suffering hypothermia and dehydration; he later said the others became unresponsive and were lost to the sea, with Cooper believed to have been lost in the early morning of March 1. No trace of Cooper, Smith, or Bleakley was recovered and all three are presumed lost at sea.

Cooper was originally from Gilbert, Arizona, and held a sociology degree from the University of Washington before playing in the NFL. Does anyone have personal knowledge of Cooper’s life or the trip that could help fill gaps in the timeline?