Search suspended for USM student missing in Gulf

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (AP) – The Coast Guard says it is suspending the search for a University of Southern Mississippi student who’s been missing since Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico off the Alabama coast.

Crews searched nearly 1,800 square miles without finding any sign of 20-year-old Robert Brent of Yazoo County, Mississippi. He was last seen while swimming off the southern shore of Dauphin Island, and a friend reported him missing after he disappeared from sight.

The U.S. Coast Guard joined local authorities in a search, which has included aircraft, boats and teams combing the shore.