Overview
- Joshua Lahai was struck by a large wave while playing off a sandbar with members of his youth football team and disappeared during a visit to Surfside Beach on Sunday, May 24.
- Local police, the U.S. Coast Guard, Brazoria County deputies and volunteer teams searched by boat, aircraft, drones and shoreline crews for nearly 48 hours after the boy went missing.
- Crews found the shorts Joshua had been wearing about a day after his disappearance, and his body was recovered after a fisherman reported feeling a bump and an officer pulled the boy from about 150 yards offshore on Tuesday, May 26.
- The Southwest Broncos youth football program and the boy’s family have publicly mourned his death, and local leaders said the recovery brought a measure of closure for relatives and teammates.
- Surfside Beach officials urged parents to use flotation devices and limit how far children go from shore, and the case is likely to renew local discussion about supervision, life jackets and adding lifeguard coverage to reduce future drownings.