Search Called Off for Missing Swimmer Near Pawleys Island

Crews searching the beach near Pawleys Island on Monday to try and find a missing teen who was last seen in the ocean. (Sydney Glenn/WPDE)

The search for the missing teen swimmer who was last seen in the ocean near Pawleys Island Sunday night has been called off.

Midway Fire Rescue officials said at around 5:45 p.m. on Monday that the search crews had been called off, but the Pawleys Island Police Department would still do spot checks.

The search began shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday night when a call came in about a swimmer in distress at around 7:40 p.m. Sunday on the south end of Pawleys Island, according to Midway Fire Rescue Chief Dough Eggiman.

He said a 13-year-old was struggling in the water, and that child’s 16-year-old sibling tried to rescue the 13-year-old.

The 13-year-old was saved by rescue crews, but he says the 16-year-old then became the victim and was lost in the ocean.

The 13-year-old was taken to the hospital and has since been released.

Rescue crews spent about two hours Sunday searching before it was called off for the night. The search then resumed at around 7 a.m. Monday, according to Carr Gilmore with Midway Fire Rescue.

“We hope to bring some closure for the family,” the Pawleys Island Police Department said.

Our search for victim of last night’s drown continues this morning. We hope to bring some closure for the family.

— Pawleys Island PD (@PawleysIslandPD) July 4, 2016

On Monday, Gilmore says ATVs searched the beaches and others searched in the water until around 11 a.m. Now, people are just searching the beaches.

A Georgetown County drone was also used for a time, before it got too busy, he said.

“We’ve completed aerial searches using drones this morning extensively. We currently have 1 water craft searching the area and then we are rotating crews in and out of water periodically as the tide falls to continue searching with rescue swimmers in the water,” Gilmore said.

Gilmore said the entire department was assisting in the search Sunday night and they’ll continue to search until he is found.

Midway Fire Rescue, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and Pawleys Island Police Department all assisted in the search on Sunday.