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Fatal Destination episode 5 explores the story of four individuals named Jake and Kelly Branam, Samuel Kairy, and Scott Gamble, who were mysteriously killed after they embarked on a boating trip from Miami, Florida, and didn't return. The Fatal Destination subject, Jake Branam, had a successful charter boat business.
Their charter boat "Joe Cool" was hired by two men for a one-way trip to Bimini, in the Bahamas. Jake's wife, Kelley, along with two other mates named Samuel and Scott, decided to accompany them on the trip. It was on September 22, 2007, when the crew started their journey but didn't return the next day. On September 23, 2007, the deserted boat was traced North of Cuba.
The following day, authorities found two men stranded on a rescue boat, more than 30 miles north of Cuba. Fatal Destination episode 5 explores the complete investigation, finding the murderers. The episode titled The Ghost Ship was released on July 1, 2025, and is available for streaming on Max.
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What happened to the Fatal Destination subjects, Jake and Kelly Branam, Scott Gamble, and Samuel Kairy
As reported by Oxygen, it was on September 22, 2007, when the 47-foot charter boat named Joe Cool planned a 50-mile trip from Miami Beach Marina to Bimini, in the Bahamas. The primary crew in the boat included Jake and Kelly, with Jake's half-brother Scott and another crewman, Samuel.
All of them were close friends and had prior experience with boats and fishing. Reportedly, two men paid them a sum of $ 4000 for a two-and-a-half-hour trip to Branam. As reported by Oxygen, before the journey, the two men were questioned why they didn't take flights, a much cheaper option. Reportedly, the two men came up with an excuse that their girlfriends had kept their passports in luggage that was inaccessible, and hence they chose this option.
The journey was supposed to be a one-day trip, and when the boat returned the next day, Fatal Destination subject Jake's uncle Jeff reported the overdue to the authorities.
As reported by Oxygen, after dropping the two men, the crew had initially planned to do some fishing on their way back. What became more suspicious to the Branam family was that the Fatal Destination subjects, Jake and Kelly, had an important event to attend the next day, which they missed.
Jake and Scott's sister, Amie Gamble, reported to the authorities that Jake's boating and fishing business was receiving major success.
Investigation behind the disappearance of Fatal Destination subjects Jake and Kelly Branam, Scott Gamble, and Samuel Kairy
As reported by Oxygen, after reporting the disappearance, authorities from the United States Coast Guard sent an international radiotelephony signal for a lookout search. Authorities failed to contact any members of the boat crew and opted for a search both on air and sea.
Almost 36 hours into the search, Commanding Officer Jonathan Carter, who guarded USGC's Cutter Pea Island, received a message from a deck officer about a floating sports fishing vessel. The boat was found 140 miles away from the root of the Fatal Destination subjects were to take.
When authorities reached the scene, they discovered it to be Joe Cool, without any passengers inside. Investigators predicted that the boat was intentionally left in that place.
As reported by Oxygen, authorities predicted that if the boat had a mechanical problem, the currents would have pushed it North, at a very rapid rate. This indicated that Joe Cool was intentionally placed at that position, going completely against the current tides.
When authorities began searching inside the boat, they found wallets, car keys, and fishing poles, which were set up in fishing positions. This indicated that the crew members did not leave the boat intentionally. Additionally, Investigators found patches of blood in the scene, which were sent to the FBI for human blood testing.
The FBI was called by the U.S. Coast Guard for a sea search. David Nunez, FBI Supervisory Special Agent, reported,
“It’s a very unique situation where your crime scene is floating in the middle of the ocean. You have to think very carefully about the strategy you’re going to use and how you’re going to investigate this.”
Soon, authorities opted for a search operation and began scanning both sea and land, while the boat Joe Cool brought back to land. The next day, authorities searching by helicopter detected a lifeboat in the south of Anguilla Cay, which had the name Joe Cool stenciled on its side.
Reportedly, the wind from the helicopter blades blew the tarp off the boat, revealing two people inside. Soon, both of the passengers were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard officials. One of the passengers reported writing on a paper which indicated that they were on the way to West Bimini, when their boat was hijacked, four people were killed, and they were abandoned.
As reported by Oxygen, the two passengers rescued were identified to be Guillermo Zarbozo and Kirby Archer. They accepted being with the Fatal Destination subjects, Jake and Kelly Branam, Scott Gamble, and Samuel Kairy. This indicated that all four of them were killed by hijackers, and their search was eventually stopped.
Investigators found crucial evidence while searching the Joe Cool boat.
As reported by Oxygen, after Joe Cool was brought to land, authorities opted for a second search inside the boat. Reportedly, four 9 mm bullet shells were retrieved from inside, as reported by the two surviving passengers.
However, FBI Special Agent Nunez pointed out that it was an odd crime scene because many expensive things were still left behind on the boat. This included a blowgun, throwing stars, darts, expensive fishing and electrical equipment, along with a handcuff key.
Agent Nunez pointed out that though the entire crime scene was ransacked, nothing was stolen. It was very unusual for sea pirates to hijack a boat, shoot the people, and not take any of the valuables. This case became more suspicious when Guillermo Zarbozo, one of the rescued passengers, claimed that he had never been in Joe Cool. This clearly showed inconsistencies in their stories.
Reportedly, during the interrogation, Zarbozo came up with a story where three Cuban pirates killed the Fatal Destination subjects. After that, Kirby Archer was forced to drive the boat towards Cuba; however, it ran out of gas after eight hours. However, the story Kirby Archer provided did not match with Zarbozo.
U.S. Coast Guard official Edwin Daniels pointed out why the two passengers had to take a life raft when Joe Cool was equipped with communication gear. Additionally, the most suspicious part was why the Pirates killed the Fatal Destination subjects and didn't kill the rest two.
As reported by Oxygen, Federal Prosecutor Karen Gilbert delved into both of the survivors' histories. Zarbozo did not have by criminal history; however, Archer had a pending arrest warrant for stealing $ 92,000 while working at a Walmart in Arkansas.
Guillermo Zarbozo and Kirby Archer confessed their involvement in the murder of the Fatal Destination subjects.
As reported by Oxygen, the bullet shells found in Joe Cool were bought with a receipt from Guillermo Zarbozo's home in Florida. The 9 mm shell casings belonged to the same ammo brand, as discovered in the Joe Cool boat crime scene.
After rigorous interrogation, Fatal Destination subject Kirby Archer agreed to reveal the murder plot in exchange for a lesser sentence than the death penalty. It was revealed that Zarbozo worked as a security guard at an auto body shop, where Archer met him for the first time.
Reportedly, Kirby Archer disguised himself as a CIA agent and recruited Zarbozo for the mission. Reportedly, Archer lured Zarbozo that if he completed the mission successfully, he would get a CIA job.
As reported by Oxygen, both Archer and Zarbozo were found guilty of the murder of the Fatal Destination subjects. As per the FBI Archives, it was on May 6, 2009, when Guillermo Zarabozo was sentenced to five consecutive life imprisonment terms with an additional 85 years behind bars. Kirby Archer also received five consecutive life sentences behind bars.
Check out our other articles to learn more details about other cases on Fatal Destination.
