Southern Utah Man Goes Missing In Guam

Gabriel D. Holt, a native of Washington City, went missing last weekend and the US Navy has called off the search.

Holt, who served as a petty officer on the USS Nimitz Nuclear Aircraft Carrier, was on shore leave in Guam and was seen socializing near Hotel Nikko and Gun beach on the island shortly before midnight on Apr. 18.

Since that moment, no one has seen the young man, despite an exhaustive search by the US Navy that covered 11,000 nautical miles and took more than 120 hours.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends, and shipmates of Petty Officer Holt,” said Capt. Doug Graber, commanding officer of the USS Nimitz. “After carefully considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the extremely difficult decision to suspend the search."

Although the Navy has called off the search and classified Holt as "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown," police in Guam told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes that they consider the case still open and vow to continue to pursue the whereabouts of Holt.

The US Navy and Capt. Graber said the Navy has not completely given up on the case, but had to move on.

"This has been an extraordinarily challenging case, and the decision to suspend active efforts was not made lightly. We are sincerely grateful for the support and coordination from all units and partners who assisted in searching," he said.

Graber said a huge effort was made in the search, including using Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft Commander Task Force 72, USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC-1140), 45-foot long Response Boat-Mediums, and Guam Fire Rescue Teams..

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