Missing
William Ward Bleakley
Bleakley, approximately 2009
Date and time person was reported missing : 03/01/2009
Missing location (approx) :
Clearwater, Florida
Missing classification : Lost/Injured Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 11/20/1983 (37)
Age at the time of disappearance: 25 years old
Height / Weight : 6'3, 240 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Bleakley's nickname is Will.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Bleakley was last seen in Clearwater, Florida on March 1, 2009. He was on a 21-foot fishing boat off the Gulf Coast with three other men: Corey Smith, Victor Marquis Cooper and Nick Schuyler. When they didn't return, the Coast Guard launched a search.
They found Schuyler at 1:35 a.m. on March 2, clinging to the side of the overturned boat. He was suffering the effects of hypothermia and dehydration. The other three men were missing. Schuyler stated they had disappeared one after another. An extensive search turned up no sign of Bleakley, Cooper or Smith. They are presumed to be lost at sea.
Bleakley played football while attending the University of South Florida; he graduated in 2006. His body has never been found.
Other information and links : ncy
Clearwater Police Department
727-562-4080
September 2021 updates and sources
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The University of South Florida Bulls
CNN
William Bleakley's Obituary
October 12, 2004. January 2, 2019; picture added.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
