A teenage boy’s head has been discovered washed up on a beach after he desperately tried to rescue his drowning sister.
Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr, 19, went missing from Miami Beach after his sister began struggling in a rip current. He was reported missing near a jetty on November 9.
As reported in the Mirror, his disappearance led to an unsuccessful search by local officials and the U.S. Coast Guard. A man’s head, found on November 12 by a beach walker in Key Biscayne, was identified as Victor’s. A cause of death has not yet been released.
Castaneda and his sister were swimming at Miami Beach’s South Point Beach when a rip current caught them. A bystander went into the water and rescued the girl but when that person went back to help Castaneda, he was nowhere to be found, family members said.
On Saturday, family and friends gathered at the beach for a memorial service. Two Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue boats fired water cannons in an honorary show, the Miami Herald reported.
Castaneda’s sisters told reporters that they were grateful for the outpouring of support for their family. Castaneda’s sister, Chloe, told WBFS-T: “He would have loved to see how many people have come and come together and love him wholeheartedly.”
His other sister, Jessica, said: “My brother was an amazing, amazing person and to know him was to love him. He couldn’t have been more perfect. The most kind person I’ve ever known.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.