The search for a missing SpaceX employee was suspended on Sunday evening after his body was located on the shoreline of Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas. The man had been reported as being in danger of drowning by a colleague and was last seen in distress after going swimming in waters near the beach that morning.
Sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Border Patrol Agents recovered the body around 8:22 p.m., whereupon the body was positively identified as the missing swimmer. A Justice of the Peace and a funeral home were called to the location, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The deceased swimmer’s family were notified.
A U.S. Coast Guard press release said rescue crews and partnered agencies had searched the air and sea for a combined 18 hours and covered over 205 square miles since the man was reported missing.
Authorities have not released the swimmer’s identity.
The employee was last sighted swimming near Boca Chica Beach at around 7:45 a.m. on Sunday when Coast Guard watchstanders were alerted by Cameron County Sheriff’s Department that a man had gone missing.
The sheriff’s office said deputies stationed at SpaceX spoke with a colleague of the swimmer who reported that his coworker had gone into the water to swim but was unable to swim back and was in distress, the sheriff’s office said.
Responding deputies watched another SpaceX employee enter the water in an attempt to reach the swimmer, who was more than 50 yards from the shore. However, the employee was unable to help their colleague due to the strong currents and high tides, according to authorities.
The second SpaceX employee waded back to shore safely, but the deputies lost sight of the distressed swimmer when he went underwater.
The Coast Guard issued a small response boat and an MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter crew, while sheriff’s deputies used drones and ATVs to search for the missing man. Other agencies including Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Public Safety assisted in the search.
The deceased swimmer was not seen again until his body was washed ashore by the tide on Boca Chica Beach around 6:30 p.m. that evening, the sheriff’s office said.
On Tuesday, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. ordered the temporary closure of access to Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 from 6 p.m. to midnight due to anticipated testing activities for SpaceX, according to a separate release posted by the sheriff’s office.