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Authorities end search for man who disappeared on trip to Catalina
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Richard Kemp has been missing since boarding a Catalina Express ferry Friday.
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Photo courtesy of the OC Sheriff's Department
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The Coast Guard has called off its search for a man who disappeared on a ferry ride from Dana Point to Catalina. KPCC’s Susan Valot says authorities aren’t sure what happened to the man.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department says video shows Richard Joseph Kemp boarded a Catalina Express boat in Dana Point early Friday morning. But authorities say no one saw the Mission Viejo man get off the ferry once it got to the island. Kemp’s backpack, wallet, ID, and cell phone were all found on the boat.
A sheriff’s department spokesman admits it’s a bit odd that none of the other passengers saw or heard anything. Authorities call the disappearance “suspicious" – although they say Kemp could have staged his own disappearance.
It’s unclear what happened to him. The Coast Guard looked for any sign of him in the water off the coast over the weekend. But the search turned up nothing.
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