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Husband of Delray Beach woman missing at sea to start his own search

Posted at 1:01 PM, May 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-24 19:55:43-04

The husband of a Delray Beach woman missing at sea said he plans to launch his own search.

Lewis Bennett told NewsChannel 5 he will fly to Cuba on Wednesday.

From there, he said he will take a boat on the Straits of Florida to look for his wife, local realtor Isabella Hellmann.

The U.S. Coast Guard believes Hellmann fell overboard after the couple’s catamaran hit an object early May 15 near Cay Sal, Bahamas.

The Coast Guard rescued Bennett, but called off its search for Hellmann after searching more than 6,600 square miles for several days. 

Bennett told the Coast Guard he was below deck on the bridge at the time of the crash. The last time he saw her, Hellmann was wearing a life jacket, according to Bennett.

Bennett told NewsChannel 5 his entire family is “distraught,” and he felt like he had to do something to help find Hellmann.