ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The body of a missing 16-year-old boy was located Monday after the teen disappeared when a canoe overturned Sunday, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said.
The teen was identified as Riley Teixeira.
The Sheriff’s Office responded to the call shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday about a missing person and tweeted an alert shortly after.
Deputies said the 16-year-old was with two other people on the St. Johns River when their canoe overturned. The two individuals were able to swim to shore, but they lost sight and contact with the teen, deputies said.
Shortly before noon Monday, the Sheriff’s Office announced the search area was expanded as authorities continued with large-scale air and marine search efforts. The area includes St. Johns, Duval and Clay counties, stretching from just north of the Buckman Bridge south past Julington Creek and encompassing the entire width of the river.
About 1:30 p.m., St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said, the boy’s body was located. His family was notified, the sheriff said.
Ad
St. Johns County Fire Rescue, the United States Coast Guard, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Augustine City Fire Department, the St. Augustine Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in the search.
Crews were congregating at Mandarin Park and launching from there.
News4JAX spoke with Cade Werle, a ninth grade student at Creekside High School, who heard the news and came out to try to help. He said the teen is also a Creekside High student.
“My dad was searching last night for it, and we were planning to go out and fish, but change of plans — we’re going to come help search and do what we can,” Werle said. “Don’t really have a plan. We know like the general area. We have our depth finder and sonar so we can see but just seeing what we can do.”
Sonar is what rescue crews were using to detect anything underwater. An FWC crew told News4JAX that three FWC boats with sonar were focusing on a localized spot near the entrance to Julington Creek.
Ad
News4JAX traveled on the waters on Marine 4 with Mark Vickers, general manager of Freedom Boat Club, who said the water is not deep but hard to see through.
“Anywhere in this area, you’ll be between 8 and 15 feet,” Vickers said. “It’s very murky.”
Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax – All rights reserved.
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnkqSxunnOn2SmoaOotq%2BzjK2cnqZdm7y2usNmmJ%2Bslad6pK3NqJxmnpyevbR5yKdkraCVYsC1ecmon6erXae2t7HRZqqhnaKes6d50pqwrGc%3D