Paddleboarder finds body of missing 19-year-old swimmer in water, Florida cops say
There were rip currents in the area the day Curtis Newkirk, Jr., went missing, authorities said. Curtis Newkirk, a 19-year-old swimmer who went missing at a Florida beach on May 28 while swimming with a group of friends, was found dead by a paddleboarder days later. The National Weather Service of Jacksonville warned of a “high risk of rip currents” at Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia beaches, and multiple agencies began searching for NewKirk. A medical examiner later identified the body as belonging to the missing swimmer. Family members marked a number 7 in the sand with candles to represent his basketball jersey number, and described him as “loved and cared for” An obituary for Newk Kirk could not be found online.
Published : 11 months ago by Madeleine List in General
A 19-year-old swimmer who went missing at a beach during a rip current warning was found dead by a paddleboarder days later, a Florida police department confirmed to McClatchy News.
Curtis Newkirk, Jr., went missing on the evening of May 28 while swimming in the ocean in Jacksonville Beach, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. He’d been swimming with “a group of friends” at around 7:30 p.m., according to
First Coast News.
Captain Eric Prosswimmer with the Jacksonville Fire Department told McClatchy News there were rip current warnings in the area at the time.
The National Weather Service of Jacksonville tweeted on May 28 that there was a “high risk of rip currents” at Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia beaches.
Multiple agencies began searching for Newkirk including lifeguards, police officers, fire rescue personnel and a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office helicopter, Prosswimmer said.
The search continued on May 29, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
Newkirk’s loved ones gathered on the beach that evening to release balloons and pray for his return, according to First Coast News.
Friends marked a number 7 in the sand with candles to represent his basketball jersey number, the outlet reported. Family members told the outlet he was “responsible” and “respectful” and described him as “loved and cared for.”
Newkirk’s sister, Victoria Newkirk, did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
A paddleboarder reported finding a body about 300 feet offshore just before 10:30 a.m. on May 31, according to the police department. A medical examiner later identified the body as belonging to Newkirk, a police department spokeswoman said.
An obituary for Newkirk could not be found online.
Jacksonville Beach is a coastal city just east of Jacksonville.
Topics: Crime, Florida