Body of missing San Diego fisherman found in Mexico

The body of a San Diego-based fisherman and YouTuber was found off the coast of Baja California Sur near San Cristobal, the victim’s brother confirmed.

Around 3 p.m. on Nov. 11, Mikey Rijavec issued a distress call on the radio stating he had engine trouble on his solo skiff. Local fishermen, the U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy responded and continued to search late into the night with no results, according to Rijavec’s brother.

Gregory Rijavec said that while trying to fix the issue, the boat’s motor dislodged, causing the small vessel to overturn. A search continued for four days until last Saturday, when the missing skiff was recovered, he said.

“Luckily, along with U.S. and Mexican authorities, the local fishing community has rallied a tremendous search and rescue effort to bring Mikey home safe,” Gregory said in an initial GoFundMe post. “We are scrambling to use all resources available including boats and aircraft. In order to escalate this effort we are welcoming donations to cover the cost of gas and pilots.”

In Sunday’s update on the crowd-funding platform, Gregory announced that his brother’s body had been found.

“As difficult as it is to accept this, we are grateful that it provides us some closure. As we begin to process and reflect on what has happened over the last several days, it is clear what was at the core of the search for Mikey: love,” Gregory wrote.

Mikey Rijavec was known for his YouTube channel “SD Fish and Sips,” which focused on all things fishing.