Twelve days have passed since a young Honduran who was out for a walk on the 4th of July in a North Carolina beach He died drowned, and so far the authorities have not found his body.
On Independence Day, Jefferson Jeampier Fernández Pineda, 21 years old, had traveled from Raleigh to Kure Beach, 20 minutes from Wilmington, with his partner, Jenny Ramírez, who is pregnant, and a group of friends to enjoy the holiday.
“What I know is that everyone was in the sea, and that he started asking for help and then from one moment to the next he disappeared,” he told Enlace Latino NC, Denis Chávez, uncle of the young man.
The incident occurred around noon, and since then the relatives have not had any favorable news from the authorities regarding the discovery of the body.
“We know that the firefighters and the police were looking for him, but they have not notified us of anything. We don't know if the search continues,” said Chávez.
That same day, a Guatemalan teenager, Mainor Pérez, 15 years old, also drowned on another beach in North Carolina, after being dragged by a rip current.
Local authorities conduct fruitless search
For its part, the local channel WWAYTV3 Kure Beach Fire Department officials said they received a call at 12:11 pm about a missing beachgoer near the 100 block of Atlantic Avenue, near the pier.
“Kure Beach lifeguards were in the water assisting other swimmers when a male victim was missing,” the station said.
The channel reported that the Kure Beach Fire Department, along with Kure Beach Ocean Rescue, immediately began the search and that there was a great response from local and federal authorities.
“The Kure Beach and Carolina Beach police departments conducted sweeps along the beach and multiple drones were deployed,” they explained.
At the same time, the Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the Wilmington Police Department responded with search vessels capable of underwater sonar and divers.
Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard responded with search vessels capable of using underwater sonar, as well as a search and rescue helicopter.
Additional searches were conducted by multiple agencies and continued throughout the night of July 4.
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Other bathers witnessed the drowning
According to posts on social media, Jefferson's drowning occurred in front of several witnesses, who were also on the beach, in addition to friends who were with him at sea.
On the Facebook group page, Carolina Beach & Kure Beach Locals In a publication by Rusbelia Verónica Cortez Rodríguez on July 13, where she asks for help to find her Honduran friend who is still missing, several people sent messages of solidarity, while others claimed to have witnessed the drowning.
“I was on the dock fishing, and that happened in front of me. We all tried to help and do the best we could. We called 911 and lifeguards and the coast guard assisted in the search where he went down. EMTs (Emergency Management Teams) and paramedics came to the dock to ask us questions because they really tried to do their best to line up the paddle boards, lifeguards and Coast Guard, where he went down. My heart breaks for the family. Let's continue praying!" says Crystal Harwood's message.
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Relatives remain hopeful that his body will be recovered
Meanwhile, Jefferson's family in Honduras and the United States are devastated by the tragedy.
“We spent several days on that beach to see if anyone would give us news about my nephew, his sisters came from Texas and Atlanta, but there are still no results. We are desperate, and we just want your body appear,” the uncle commented.
Chávez said that his nephew knew how to swim, and that he cannot explain what could have happened to him in the sea.
“They say that a wave swam and that another wave dragged him into the sea. The rescuers cannot explain, because it was a matter of seconds before he was lost in the water.” This is what Chávez explained.
Jefferson was the only boy among four sisters, and he had arrived in the country a little over a year ago, with the idea of helping his parents.
“He had many goals and plans to see his parents again, he wanted to fight for them, and he was also very happy for his first baby,” said the relative.
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Their was a 12ft bull shark spotted beside pier the day before