Woman, 60, becomes fifth tourist to die in violent riptide at same beach town in just four days

A 60-year-old woman has tragically become the fifth tourist to die in a beach town within just four days.

Debbie Szymanski, from St. Louis, Missouri, was vacationing in Panama City Beach , Florida when she fell victim to deadly riptides . She had been enjoying a day at the Carillon neighborhood with her family on Sunday when they noticed she wasn't responding after going for a swim around 11:30 am, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office.

Her family pulled her lifeless body from the water as sheriff deputies and emergency services hurried to the scene. She was then rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

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This tragic incident follows the drowning of three men on Friday, and a teenager who also lost his life in the Gulf waters the day before.

Just two days prior to Debbie's death, three Alabama fathers also lost their lives minutes after arriving at an Airbnb they had rented for a holiday in Panama City Beach. Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, Jemonda Ray, 24, and Marius Richardson, 24, checked into their rental near the Watercress Condominiums on the beach just before 8pm before deciding to go for a swim, as per the sheriff's office.

Tragically, within minutes, all three were caught in a rip current. The Bay County Sheriff's Office, Emergency Services, Coast Guard, and Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission all responded to the beach and searched the dark waters from ground level and above, using helicopters.

The three men were eventually found and pulled from the water, but tragically, all three succumbed to their injuries at local hospitals, according to the sheriff's office. Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford expressed: "The acts of courage by first responders were amazing. Many of our rescue swimmers with the Sheriff's Office, Bay County Emergency Services and Panama City Beach went into the dark and dangerous waters for over two hours to attempt to rescue and search for the young men."

"I worry about the emotional toll that these situations take on first responders as I know I'm struggling with it as well. I have such a heavy heart this morning about the loss of three young visitors to our community. I'm praying for their family and ask that you do the same. It is such a tragedy."

Ray and Richardson, who were cousins and grew up like brothers, and their friend Hunter, were the victims, family members told AL.com. Ray was a father to a toddler son and worked at Amazon, Richardson was a married father of a two year old son, and Hunter was a father to a young son and daughter, as per the local outlet.

The girlfriends of Ray and Richardson were also part of the trip.

The first victim of the violent riptides was 19-year-old Ryker Milton, who tragically lost his life last Thursday evening after he went out for a swim and got caught in a current, as reported by KOCO News. Ryker, hailing from Oklahoma, was with a friend at the beach around 4pm when a rip current took hold of him.

Lifeguards managed to pull him from the sea and began life-saving measures on the beach.

He was then rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and passed away in the emergency room, Panama City officials disclosed to the station. The teen was a standout football player at Hilldale High School, from which he graduated in 2023, as online tributes have noted.

In a heartfelt Facebook message, Hilldale Soccer expressed their grief: "Today, we lost one of the most special kids to come through our programme. It's so hard to describe this young man in words that will do his life justice. From all of the coaches, players, parents, and more, we love you Ryker. It was an honour to coach you, play with you, and cheer you on. You changed all of our lives. We will miss you so much."

Authorities, including the sheriff's office, have consistently cautioned against swimming in gulf waters when red flags are flying. Ford took to Facebook Sunday after Debbie was rescued, urgently pleading: "PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE WATER. The water can appear calm but underneath currents are treacherous today. It's just too dangerous right now to swim."

All five victims were swimming under either double or single red flag conditions. Double red flags signal "extremely dangerous conditions" and mean the water is closed to swimmers.

Single red flags warn of "high hazard conditions with high surf and/or currents."