July 2019, Friends of Rocco Acocella advised SSCA KPK radio service that he was overdue on a passage between St. Maarten and Barranquilla, Colombia. He left St. Maarten on June 17th, on his 8-meter trimaran, a Telstar MK II and intended to arrive in Barranquilla on June 28 or 29. His intention was to catch a flight to Ecuador for work. He activated a PLB off the coast of Colombia on 22 June 2019 which pinged for at least 24 hours. Neither he nor his vessel have been found.

The Acocella family in Italy have established a Facebook page, Rocco Acocella Missing, which contains the latest information concerning the search.