Search for missing Connecticut free diver in Bahamas suspended

Conn. (WFSB) – A former East Hartford police officer has gone missing while free diving in the Bahamas.

Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard say they have been searching for a free diver who went missing on Friday near the Bimini Barge Wreck, 1.5 miles west of Bimini Inlet.

The diver was wearing a green top with red fins, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard says they are working with the Royal Bahamas Police force and the Royal Bahamas Defense force to find the diver.

Friends say the missing diver is 31-year-old Ryan Proulx from Connecticut.

Channel 3 spoke with a friend of Ryan’s who said he owns a charter company called Blue Runner Charters out of Westerly, Rhode Island.

According to his friend Steve Diffenbacher, Ryan runs the charter for a part of the year and trains police dogs in Connecticut during the second half of the year.

A spokesperson for East Hartford police says Proulx was a member of the East Hartford Police Department from 2017 to 2021.

The U.S. Coast Guard released a statement around 2:06 p.m. on Sunday saying they are suspending search efforts. According to officials, the Coast Guard aircraft crew searched more than 673 square miles in over six hours.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the Proulx family,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Spado, Coast Guard liaison officer. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is one we never take likely.”

A GoFundMe was set up to help search for Ryan.

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