Bag Of Autographed Jose Fernandez Baseballs Washes Up On Miami Beach
MIAMI (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A bag of autographed baseballs signed by Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez washed ashore on a beach not far from the boat accident site where he died.
WSVN-TV reported a beachgoer found a bag containing four baseballs signed by Fernandez on Miami Beach.
Ocean Rescue Division Chief Vincent Canosa said the bag was given to a lifeguard and that it apparently came from the boat.
"A bag was turned into the lifeguard on 24th Street and it appeared to be the bag of one of the deceased. It had four signed baseballs," Canosa said.
Fernandez, 24, died when the boat he owned slammed at high speed into a rock jetty early Sunday just off South Beach, investigators say. Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero also died.
Fernandez was a patron at Miami River's American Social Bar & Kitchen before the accident. The restaurant did not say whether Fernandez had been drinking or what time he left.
The Marlins announced a public viewing will be held Wednesday at a Miami church, preceded by a funeral procession scheduled to start at 2:16 p.m. outside the team's downtown ballpark. Fernandez wore No. 16 on his jersey.
A private funeral will be held Thursday for the Fernandez family and Marlins players and personnel.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating. Spokesman Rob Klepper said in an interview Tuesday that there's no timetable, and "we will provide a complete and thorough investigative report."
The 32-foot boat named "Kaught Looking" -- the "K" is backwards, signifying a strikeout when the batter does not swing -- will be thoroughly checked for clues as to why the accident occurred, authorities said. Miami-Dade County prosecutors have obtained search warrants for wildlife commission investigators seeking access to the vessel, said Ed Griffith, a spokesman for the state attorney's office.
"As you know, FWC has a duty to investigate fatal boating accidents like this one," Griffith said in an email. "Since the incident involved a single boat and there were no survivors, there can be no criminal prosecution derived from the FWC investigation."
Klepper said the wildlife commission has no record of any previous citation or warning involving the boat, Fernandez or the other two men who died. Normally vessel stops are not documented unless a warning or citation is issued, he added.
The Miami-Dade County medical examiner has not yet released toxicology results that might determine if Fernandez or the other two victims were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Klepper said that report would be part of the wildlife commission's completed investigation. Authorities previously said no evidence of alcohol or drugs was found at the crash scene.
On Monday night, the Marlins held an emotional tribute prior to their game against the New York Mets to honor Fernandez -- a game he was scheduled to pitch.
Enormously popular in Miami's large Cuban-American community, Fernandez defected from Cuba at age 15, won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2013 and became a two-time All-Star.
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