Body of missing teen found in Gulf

Youngster had been missing since Sunday trip to Ship Island

A charter boat captain fishing around Ship Island found the body of a teenage boy Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico, about 1.5 miles from where he and a friend had been swept away in a strong current on Sunday, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources reported.

The remains of 16-year-old Omar Gonzalez of Petal were recovered about 17 hours after the search had been suspended on Tuesday when the U.S. Coast Guard said there was “slim likelihood of survivability.”

A 17-year-old classmate was found alive Sunday, clinging to a buoy in the Gulfport Ship Channel. Though Gonzalez’s family clung to hope, their worst fears were realized on Wednesday.

Officers with the Mississippi Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard, both of which had been searching since Sunday, responded to the charter captain’s call.

“This was not the outcome we wanted,” said Keith Davis, Chief of Marine Patrol. “But we are glad that we could bring closure to Omar’s family. We also want to thank our local and federal partners for helping in this search.”

The two teenagers were reported as missing on Sunday afternoon when the ferry they had taken to Ship Island returned without them aboard. The search by state and federal marine agencies began immediately.

“When they realized that the boys were missing, that’s when the call was made,” said U.S. Coast Guard Senior Chief Rebecca Polzin.

According to Pollen, the teens, who were last seen swimming off the west tip of Ship Island and reportedly were looking for crabs, were likely carried out by a rip current.

“Eventually, once the rip current gets away from shore, you end up in the standard current, and the current actually pushed them up into the Gulfport ship channel,” said Polzin.

Gonzalez’s family has been at Coast Guard Station Gulfport since Sunday, clinging to hope he would be found.

His stepfather, Jim Abney, described the teen as a momma’s boy who was always happy. Gonzalez had just completed his sophomore year at Petal High School, where he made straight As.

Abney told WLOX-TV his stepson was supposed to be staying the night at a friend’s house, and his family did not know about the trip to the island. Abney said if he would have known about the trip, he would not have allowed him to go because of strong storms in the area. He also said Gonzalez was not a strong swimmer.

“Thank you to all the parties involved in the search, especially the U.S. Coast Guard,” Abbey said. “We know they worked so hard to find Omar. They have gone above and beyond and have been outstanding. We are forever grateful.”