Boat of missing Gaston County fishermen found near Murrells Inlet

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. — The United States Coast Guard has found the boat belonging to two Gaston County fishermen who have been missing for nearly a week in the Atlantic Ocean.

[READ MORE: Belmont pub raising funds in search for missing Gaston County boaters]

On Friday, the Coast Guard tweeted they found the boat that Steve Chaney and David Hambrick were last seen in about 15 miles east of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

Nobody was found on board.

Channel 9 was with Hambrick's neighbor, Marvin Huskins, as he watched the latest development on Eyewitness News at noon.

He wiped away tears from his eyes as he spoke to reporter Ken Lemon.

"I have got hope, but you know, after four or five days, it's not looking good," Huskins said.

The cousins from Gaston County were fishing off of Oak Island and were reported missing Sunday night.

Huskins said Hambrick and his wife had just bought the boat and a second home on Oak Island and he was at the beach to work on it and fish.

“That boy could do anything, ride motorcycles or boats,” Huskins said. “You wouldn’t think that would happen to him.”

Huskins hopes the cousins abandoned their boat and they are out somewhere waiting for a rescue boat to find them.

"Hang in there and we just be praying for you," Huskins said.

The Coast Guard said they, along with the Navy, would continue searching for the men and were expanding their search patterns near Murrells Inlet.

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