Overview
- A boy from Richmond who had been visiting Surfside Beach with a youth football group went under while swimming about 150 yards offshore after a large wave struck, witnesses and police said Sunday evening.
- Surfside Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office and volunteer teams including Texas EquuSearch carried out coordinated searches using boats, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, drones and shoreline crews.
- Officials shifted the operation from active rescue to a recovery mission as conditions worsened and searchers recovered the child’s multi-colored shorts during Monday’s efforts.
- Authorities later confirmed that search teams recovered the boy’s body along the Surfside coastline and said the incident is under investigation while the family receives support.
- Local officials and searchers warned that rip currents, shifting sandbars and heavy Memorial Day crowds complicated the response and said the episode may prompt renewed attention to beach safety and lifeguard coverage.