Boy, 11, drowns after being washed out to sea in riptide while collecting seashells with his mother

An 11-year-old boy drowned after being washed out to see while collecting seashells with his mother.

Hunter Ebie was paddling in just ankle-deep water in Conneaut, Ohio , when he was leaning over to pick up a shell and got pulled into the water by a large wave at around 1:30pm on Friday. According to his devastated family, Hunter's mother, Diana, followed her son into the waves in an attempt to pull him to shore before both were caught in a rip tide.

Tragically the youngster vanished from sight, with a desperate search launched when the Coast Guard got at Conneaut Township Park's beach at around 2:00 pm. Tragically he was nowhere to be seen.

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After searching the Lake Erie region with helicopters, drones, boats, and divers, combined rescue teams discovered Hunter's body on Tuesday afternoon. Sam Chambers, Hunter's stepfather, stayed in Conneaut and searched for the child every day on the beach. “Words cannot express. He was a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin and just an overall caring and loving kid,” Hunter's family said in a statement.

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The five-member family hails from approximately 95 miles away in Akron, Ohio, and the town of Conneaut came together to help them during the search. “Someone generously donated a place for the family to stay, an amazing restaurant owner made sure they had a beautiful hot meal,” one resident said.

“A local pastor opened up the clothing bank and a local counselor went with them to gather warm clothes.” While Chambers waited for his son to return from the water, others spent the entire night with him on the beach.

A vigil was held at the nearby Springfield Lake by Hunter's classmates from Schrop Intermediate School and teammates from the Spartans football team. On Saturday, the family's neighbor Wade Swain is planning a memorial procession.
In addition, a friend of the family is collecting money for Hunter's funeral.

Conneaut, Ohio, city manager Nick Sanford expressed his happiness at the town's ability to gather together once again, saying, "I think this is good for our community as well to give the community a sense of closure on this tragedy."

At the most recent city council meeting, there was a lot of public commentary calling for further safety precautions to alert beachgoers to severe weather. Sanford continued by saying that the council is in support of these steps and is organizing a safety meeting to talk about the best way to put them into action.