The boat, belonging to Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, was first discovered by the US Coast Guard days after the duo went missing, but a buoy attached to the craft did not function and the Coast Guard lost track of the vessel.
In March, the boat was spotted by a Norwegian ship who reported the sighting, but did not stop. When the small craft was retrieved, it contained an iPhone and other items belonging to the boys.
Photos of the boat reveal that the battery switch and ignition key were in the off position, meaning that it was disabled intentionally and not by a storm, Guy Rubin, who represents Perry Cohen's mother, told local station WPBF. He stated that he does not want to be an alarmist, but that there is a possibility that they were abducted or targeted because there were thousands of dollars in fishing equipment on board.
"Why would they turn the engine and battery off? Were they broken down? Maybe there was a third person aboard," Rubin stated.
Others have suggested the possibility that the boys had stopped to fish or had turned off the engine to conserve fuel.
