Exactly one year to the day that Fort Lauderdale millionaire Guma Aguiar disappeared, there is still no official word or proof if he is dead or alive.
Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman Det. DeAnna Greenlaw told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the agency still considers Aguiar missing, and that the case will remain open until new evidence surfaces, or the court declares him dead.
Aguiar, 35, was last seen on his home surveillance video taking a fishing boat out into choppy waters the night of June 19, 2012. His 31-foot long boat surfaced early the next morning off Las Olas Boulevard with the lights and engine still running. Aguiar's wallet and cell phone were found on board, but no remains of him were ever found, despite search efforts by Fort Lauderdale Police, the Broward Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Missing Millionaire’s GPS Data Released
The Brazilian-born-and-South-Florida-raised millionaire earned his fortune in the energy industry. In the days before his disappearance, he was facing hard times at work and a strained marriage, his mother, Ellen Aguiar, told NBC 6.
"[He's] someone who feels that they're surrounded by enemies on every side and is trying to find the right course to survive," she said.
Aguiar's fortune is estimated to be about $100 million. His mother, and wife, Jamie, were locked in lawsuits for control of his fortune.
"She's got four kids and herself," said Jamie Aguiar's then-attorney, William Scherer, outside a conservator hearing last year. "She's alone, and she's got a mess."
A judge eventually named conservators to oversee Aguiar's estate. Aguiar gave millions to Jewish causes here in the U.S. and back in Israel, where his mother, wife and children are said to have returned.
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Photo Credit: Fort Lauderdale Police