Newly surfaced CCTV footage has injected a surge of intrigue into the baffling disappearance of veteran boater Randall “Randy” Spivey and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, revealing a frantic emergency signal just moments before their vessel faded from sight. Obtained from Fort Myers Beach marina cameras and analyzed by investigators on December 25, 2025, the video depicts Randy, 57, igniting a distress flare at 5:47 a.m. on December 19—precisely 36 seconds prior to the 42-foot Freeman catamaran “Unstopp-A-Bull” motoring out of frame into the predawn Gulf of Mexico. This revelation, amid a suspended Coast Guard search, challenges prior theories and fuels speculation about an early onboard crisis.

Randy, a respected Fort Myers attorney and founder of Spivey Law Firm, was renowned for his expertise in personal injury cases and his mastery of Gulf waters, honed over 30+ years. Brandon, 33, a trial lawyer at Boca Raton’s Shiner Law Group, had followed in his uncle’s footsteps, relocating to Florida and embracing the sea as a respite from courtroom demands. The pair, bound by family ties and shared passions, departed before sunrise for a day of fishing off Naples, promising fresh catches to their wives. Equipped with radios, life jackets, and an EPIRB, they seemed prepared for anything—yet no distress calls reached authorities until hours later when Tricia Spivey and Deborah Billmaier reported them overdue.

The footage shows a routine start: Randy and Brandon loading gear, exchanging waves with marina staff. Then, abruptly, Randy activates the flare, its glow piercing the darkness before fizzling out unseen. Was it a malfunctioning test, a response to sudden mechanical trouble, or a harbinger of foul play? The boat proceeds normally, but its later discovery—70 miles offshore, engines roaring, in gear, unmanned, and missing two life jackets—suggests catastrophe struck soon after. Investigators theorize an initial issue escalated: perhaps engine failure, a medical emergency, or a collision with debris, prompting the signal before communication cut out.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s exhaustive four-day search, halted at sunset on December 23 after covering 8,000 square miles, yielded no traces. Capt. Corrie Sergent cited exhausting conditions and low survival odds in 74-degree waters, but emphasized passive monitoring continues. The FBI now assists, probing for criminal angles, though no evidence supports it. Private efforts with drones and sonar persist, backed by community funds for marine safety.

On this Christmas Day, families grapple with grief. Deborah, mourning her “indescribable” husband, shared in interviews: “That flare means he fought till the end.” Tricia, Randy’s wife, echoes the plea for miracles. Vigils along Florida coasts draw supporters, honoring the men’s legacies of advocacy and love. As probes dissect the 36-second clip frame by frame, questions mount: Why no follow-up alert? What silenced two capable men? The Gulf’s enigma endures, but this CCTV glimpse offers a thread of clarity in the fog of loss.