A Houston teenager is presumed to be dead after going missing on Saturday while swimming along the Gulf Coast.
The 17-year-old boy was reported missing at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, when he was visiting Surfside Beach with his family, according to Madison Polston, a spokesperson for the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. She said Monday afternoon that responding authorities had transitioned from a rescue effort to a recovery effort, meaning the boy is unlikely to have survived.
“Unfortunately, at this time, with the temperature of the water and the amount of time it’s been, it’s likely (he died),” Polston said. “The waves were about 3-5 feet and there was a riptide (Saturday afternoon), which is what we’re presuming may have caused him to go missing.”
Search efforts have included the use of drones, sonar and a helicopter, according to Polston, who said the initial response included the sheriff’s office as well as the Surfside Beach Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit that assists with searches for missing persons. Polston said each of those entities except the Coast Guard was still looking for the boy as of Monday afternoon, adding that federal authorities typically assist only with rescue efforts and not recoveries.
“Every measure has been taken to work to identify where he is,” Polston said.
Surfside Beach is about 65 miles south of Houston and about 40 miles southwest of Galveston, which is another popular coastal destination for Houston-area residents.