Drowning victim, 17, recovered at Huntington Beach State Park

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The body of a 17-year-old swimmer who went missing Friday in Georgetown County has been recovered following a two-day search.

Saturday afternoon, Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) deputies reportedly spotted what looked like a body in the surf near Huntington Beach State Park on Saturday.

The agency used its drone unit and all-terrain vehicles to locate and recover the body.

Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway identified the victim as Tyrese Haynes, 17, of Murrells Inlet.

Coroner Ridgeway said the teen was swimming in the ocean when he went missing on Friday near Litchfield By the Sea.

Throughout the search, the sheriff’s office partnered with several agencies: Midway Fire Rescue, Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Rescue, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The rough seas and impending storms had earlier forced the suspension of marine operations.

On Saturday, a GCSO drone operator spent five hours searching south of the park, while Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Rescue handled drone searches north of the park. The Sheriff’s Office marine unit searched the water Friday and Saturday. Midway Fire Rescue used jet skis and a utility vehicle for shoreline searches until rough seas and weather stopped them. SCDNR provided a search boat, and Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Department used a response boat with side scan sonar. The Coast Guard supported the search with vessels and a helicopter.

Haynes will undergo an autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

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