Authorities in the Cayman Islands have given up on their active search for missing comic book artist Norman Lee, who disappeared on vacation earlier this week while snorkeling near his hotel.

“We put all assets available to us, both law enforcement and privately owned," Police Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks said. "We thank all those who assisted us in this time of need. Unfortunately we were unable to find or recover Mr. Lee.”

A statement published via Cayman 27 said that “The currents in that area are strong and it is unlikely that we will make any recovery at this stage.”

While we had previously reported on a rescue mission based on a report out of ABC in Boston, the Cayman 27 report indicates that by the time Lee's disappearance started to be widely reported in the comics industry on Friday and Saturday, the rescue effort had already been reclassified as search and recovery.

Marine enforcement vessels remain in the area at last reporting, and while the search has officially been stood down, authorities are still encouraging those in the area to report any sightings of interest. An NECN report indicates that Norman Lee's wife has left the island.