Kidnapped Three Year Old Boy Rescued By Coast Guard

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Kidnapped Three Year Old Boy Rescued By Coast Guard By Mike Mitchell

		December 1, 2009 - On Saturday, Paul Martikainen had a supervised visit with his son, Luke Finch at Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village. Martikainen was being supervised by a court appointed supervisor due to previous allegations of child abuse. The court appointed supervisor left Martikainen and his son unsupervised about 12:30 PM while he, the court appointed supervisor went across the street to a restaurant to eat lunch. That’s when Martikainen abducted his son. The police were called in. Later in the day police discovered Martikainen’s 1995 green Ford Explorer at the marina. At which point the US Coast Guard was called in to assist. Authorities learned that Martikainen had purchased a boat on eBay in October and had painted it battleship gray. This morning about 7:15 AM, approximately 140 miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach, Florida the Coast Guard boarded the Martikainen’s 32 foot sailboat rescued Luke Finch.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg were contacted early Sunday morning by Cocoa City Police Department officials, in Cocoa, Fla., requesting assistance in locating Paul Martikainen, 35, and his son, Finch. They reportedly departed Salt Creek Marina, in St. Petersburg, in a 32-foot grey Bristol sailboat at about 4 p.m. Saturday. Crewmembers aboard a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., HC-130 Hercules aircraft spotted Paul Martikainen's sailboat at about 5 p.m. Monday, while searching a 22,995-square mile area after Finch was reportedly kidnapped by Martikainen Saturday. Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Crocodile and Coast Guard Cutter Kodiak Island boarded the sailboat at about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, safely rescued Finch, and took him onboard the Crocodile. Kodiak Island boarding team members detained Martikainen and are currently towing the sailboat to Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, Fla., where he will be taken into FBI custody. Finch is scheduled to arrive at Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach at around 5 p.m. "We are incredibly happy that we were able to find and rescue Luke unharmed to reunite him with his family," said Capt. Timothy Close, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg commander. "There were multiple agencies involved and we were glad we were able to assist." The Crocodile is an 87-foot cutter home port in St. Petersburg. The Kodiak Island is a 110-foot cutter home port in Key West, Florida.

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