Pennisi and his crew member, 24-year-old Michael Odom, were last seen on the 50-foot steel-hulled trawler Relentless off the coast of San Francisco, California on June 21, 2004. They were last tracked by the vessel-monitoring system at 2:00 a.m. They had caught their fill of fish and were on the way home. The ship's distress beacon went off at 4:40 a.m. The Coast Guard launched an extensive search, but they never found the boat or either of the missing men. They are presumed lost at sea. A photo of the Relentless is posted below this case summary. Pennisi's family believes the boat was rammed and sunk by the Bum Chin, a nearby South Korean chemical carrier.

Pennisi left behind a large family, including five brothers, three sisters, one stepsister, his father and stepmother, his wife, two sons and one stepdaughter. He has fished off many ports in California, Oregon and Alaska. Photographs and information are unavailable. Both men are presumed dead.

Above: The Relentless