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Minn. Man Missing, Boat Found Adrift Off Florida

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities are searching for a Minnesota man whose rented boat was found adrift off South Florida's Atlantic coast.

The Coast Guard found Randall David Ward's 24-foot boat about 7 miles off Lake Worth early Wednesday after a marina reported that Ward was hours overdue.

Fort Lauderdale police say the boat had some mechanical problems.

Ward's wife, Rita, tells the Sun Sentinel that her 59-year-old husband left their Eden Prairie, Minn., home June 21 on a motorcycle trip to Fort Lauderdale.

Rita Ward says her husband had been suffering from some health problems, and the couple had been struggling with a son's suicide. She has not heard from her husband since June 22.

She also says Randall Ward would jump into the water to fix problems on their own boat.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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