Mystery of Florida’s beached cross may be solved

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The mystery of a barnacle-covered wooden cross that washed ashore along a South Florida beach may have been solved.

The Miami Herald reports that a woman believes the cross was erected on an island off North Carolina in 2016 in memory of her brother who disappeared while on a solo hunting trip in Hatteras Inlet.

Robin Stowe contacted the newspaper on Wednesday after reports surfaced about the 20-foot (6-meter) cross, which has been captivating tourists who dragged it from the water’s edge at Fort Lauderdale’s beach last weekend.

After Stowe’s brother disappeared, a bunch of friends put the cross on the inlet. She says it likely was swept away during Hurricane Michael last October.

Her brother, Capt. Richard Baran, ran a guide service at Hatteras Harbor Marina.

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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com