Body found in search of missing 13-year-old twin brothers who cannot swim and disappeared while playing in waist-deep water near a Texas pier when their parents ‘briefly lost sight of them’
- Twins Josué and Jefferson Pérez, 13, were last seen on Sunday around 4:30 p.m.
- Authorities said four people were walking by and noticed one of the bodies.
A body has been found in the search for two missing 13-year-old twin brothers who went missing while wading in chest-deep water near a Texas pier, despite both being unable to swim.
The body was recovered in Galveston, Texas, and matches the description of one of the missing twins, Josué and Jefferson Pérez.
Authorities said four people were walking by and noticed the body. They then pulled the body to shore and alerted 911, the Galveston Island Beach Patrol said.
The two children had traveled from your home in Houston for a day at the beach and were last seen playing near the Pleasure Pier on Sunday around 4:30 p.m. about 20 yards from shore.
The family “briefly lost sight of them” and no one saw the twins go underwater, authorities said.
Josué and Jefferson Pérez, 13-year-old twin brothers, were last seen around 4:30 p.m. Sunday near the Pleasure Pier in Galveston.
Police have been searching since Sunday night. They will continue looking for the other body
The Pleasure Pier in Galveston is a popular tourist site off the coast of Houston. From March 11 there will be lifeguards on the beach when the main bathing season begins
Galveston Beach Patrol Lt. Austin Kirwin announced yesterday that passersby had found a body matching the description.
He told an outside press conference: “Once we did the scene, we determined that it did fit the description of the missing twins from the other day, and then we worked to notify the family.”
Lt. Kirwin confirmed that authorities would continue their search for the remaining missing body, but stressed that “everything in this water is very unpredictable” and there was no certainty they would find another body any time soon.
When Josué and Jefferson Pérez disappeared, the rip currents around the pier were described as strong and the sea temperature was 67F.
After the children’s family raised the initial alarm about their disappearance, Galveston search and rescue teams scoured the area using helicopters and jet skis.
Lieutenant Kirwin said on Monday: ‘Nobody confirms that they saw them go under.
“So, essentially, what happened is they were in the water, the parents briefly lost sight of them, looked over to that area, and didn’t see them anymore.”
The Galveston County Community Emergency Response Team, Beach Patrol, US Coast Guard and volunteers have been searching since 5:30 pm Sunday night. Divers are also helping the teams.
Kirwin said weather conditions were hampering the search.
“The real limiting factor for us right now is this fog,” he said at the earlier press conference on Monday.
Lt. Austin Kirwin, of the Galveston Beach Patrol, said Tuesday that authorities would continue to search for the second body.
Rescue teams continue to search for a second body after passersby discovered the first.
That will prevent us from searching as well as we want.
Also, the water is still relatively cold. It’s around 67F this morning so without a wetsuit the amount of time you can be in the water decreases.
He noted that the waters that swirled around objects being thrown into the sea, such as jetties and the Pleasure Pier, were dangerous, because strong currents can create rips.
“In case you do get caught in a rip current, the key point is don’t panic,” he said.
‘If you just relax and try to stay calm, the current will eventually carry you back to shore.
‘The main killer in drowning is that mode of panic.’
Lifeguards will be on the beach from March 11, when the main bathing season begins.
