First Responders

Race Against Time: Have You Seen This Missing Woman?

December 9, 2021Carl Prine
Joanna Revis

US Coast Guard air and surface units are searching for Joanna Rebis, 38, from Chicago, Illinois, who reportedly was last seen snorkeling Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, near the shoreline of Punta Arenas in Vieques, Puerto Rico. US Coast Guard photo.

The US Coast Guard is in a race against time to save Joanna Rebis, a Chicago snorkeler who’s gone missing off Punta Arenas in Vieques, Puerto Rico.


Rebis, 38, was last seen in a long-sleeved white shirt and black shorts while snorkeling near the shoreline at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8.


A US Fish and Wildlife Service officer reported the incident to US Coast Guard watchstanders in San Juan roughly six hours after Rebis disappeared.


race against time
The US Coast Guard cutter Reef Shark is an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico. US Coast Guard photo.

The Coast Guard scrambled an MH-60T Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Air Station Borinquen and redirected the 87-foot cutter Reef Shark to where she went missing, and crews hunted for her throughout the night and morning, according to an email from Coast Guard officials to Coffee or Die Magazine.


The Coast Guard crews have been joined by teams from the Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action, the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, officials said.


Anyone with any information on this case is urged to contact the US Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center at 787-289-2041.




Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the missing woman’s name to Rebis. Rescuers initially thought it was Revis.


Read Next: US Coast Guard Is ‘Captain Santa’ on the Great Lakes



Carl Prine
Carl Prine

Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Military
9 Killed In Army Black Hawk Helicopter Crash In Kentucky

Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said Thursday morning that the deaths happened the previous night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission.

March 30, 2023Associated Press
richard stayskal act military medical malpractice
Military
DOD Denies Most Stayskal Act Malpractice Claims

Master Sgt. Richard Stayskal was diagnosed with lung cancer long after military doctors missed a tum...

March 29, 2023Maggie BenZvi
ukraine lessons learned
Opinion & Essay
Nolan Peterson: Lessons From Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

After living in and reporting from Ukraine the last nine years, conflict journalist Nolan Peterson h...

March 28, 2023Nolan Peterson
ukrainian wounded soldiers
Intel
‘On Tour In Hell’: Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers Evacuated

With bandaged heads and splinted limbs, the wounded soldiers are stretchered into the waiting medica...

March 27, 2023Associated Press
US oil mission
Military
US Launches Airstrikes in Syria After Drone Kills US Worker

While it’s not the first time the U.S. and Iran have traded airstrikes in Syria, the attack and the ...

March 24, 2023Associated Press
The Gift jason dunham
Entertainment
‘The Gift’ Explores the Life and Legacy of Medal of Honor Recipient Jason Dunham

"The Gift" tells the story of the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor after the Vietnam War. ...

March 24, 2023Mac Caltrider
uss milius
Intel
US Denies Chinese Claim It Drove Away American Destroyer

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said that a statement from China's Southern Theatre Command that it had fo...

March 23, 2023Associated Press
ultramarathon
Military
The Speed Project: Vet Team To Run in Lawless, Invite-Only Ultramarathon

For the first time, a team of (mostly) US veterans and active-duty service members will run in The S...

March 23, 2023Jenna Biter
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved