Some are calling him the luckiest man alive.
Just hours before Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier vanished without a trace, a close associate was invited to join them aboard the boat — a trip that would later spiral into one of the most baffling maritime mysteries in recent memory.
He was ready.
He was expected.
And then — at the very last minute — he didn’t go.
“I was supposed to be on that boat”
According to sources familiar with the case, the man had every intention of boarding the vessel with Spivey and Billmaier. Plans were discussed. The invitation was clear. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Until something felt… off.
What changed his mind remains the most chilling part of the story.
A sudden hesitation — and a decision that changed everything
Friends say the man began to hesitate shortly before departure. A nagging feeling. A last-minute obligation. A reason so small it wouldn’t normally cancel plans — but big enough to save a life.
“He told people later that if he had ignored that feeling, he would have been gone too,” a source said quietly.
Within hours, the boat would be found abandoned.
Spivey and Billmaier were gone.
And the man who stayed behind was left staring at a terrifying truth.
Survivor’s guilt — and haunting questions
Now, as investigators continue to dig into what happened on the water, this near-miss is becoming a key emotional thread in the case.
Why were those specific people invited?
What was supposed to happen on that trip?
And did the man who backed out unknowingly dodge something far darker?
Police have not suggested foul play involving the would-have-been passenger. But sources say his account is being carefully reviewed as detectives attempt to reconstruct the final hours before the disappearance.
“That could have been me”
Those close to the man say he is struggling to come to terms with how close he came to vanishing himself.
“He keeps saying the same thing,” one friend shared.
“‘That could have been me.’”
As the mystery surrounding Randall Spivey and Brandon Billmaier deepens, this last-minute decision stands as one of the most haunting twists yet — a reminder that sometimes, survival comes down to a single choice made in seconds.
And the question haunting everyone now:
What made him stay behind… and what did it save him from?