A second body has been found in the search for twin 13-year-old boys who went missing while swimming near Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas.
According to officials the body of a young male was discovered Thursday around 1 a.m. near 47th and Seawall Boulevard. When they arrived on scene they were able to confirm the young male matched the description of the remaining missing twin.
KHOU reported the twins were last seen around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday in waist-to-chest-high water about 20 yards into the ocean.
While no one could confirm they saw the boys go underwater, the family acknowledged neither knew how to swim.
“They were out in the water. The parents briefly lost sight of them and they looked back up into the area and they did not see them,” Galveston Island Beach Patrol Lt. Austin Kirwin said.
Family spent about an hour searching for the twins, Josue and Jefferson Perez, 13, before calling 911.
Twins missing: Beach patrol are looking for brothers Jefferson and Josue Perez, 13. They were swimming near Pleasure Pier in Galveston yesterday afternoon when they went missing. @KPRC2 #kprc2 pic.twitter.com/silYGKRu4A
— KPRC Cathy Hernandez (@KPRC2Cathy) March 6, 2023
The United States Coast Guard was brought in to assist with search and rescue, but fog forced them to ground their helicopter on Monday.
Galveston Police Department took over the search.
In the early morning hours on Tuesday the first body was found by a group of people who had been walking on the beach near 28th Street and Seawall Blvd. The group spotted the body, pulled it from the water, and then called 911.
“Caller just pulled an unconscious person, young teenager, out of the water. Blue shirt, red shorts. Not moving. EMS is going to be en route,” a dispatcher was heard reporting on radio traffic. “Male meets the description of one of the missing children from two days ago,” another official said on Tuesday.
The second boy was located by a local resident who was walking the shoreline near 47th and Seawall Thursday around 1 a.m.
They brought the body to shore before calling 911.
When officials arrived they were able to confirm the body belonged to one of the missing boys.
“It is some closure. We are keeping close ties and talking to the family, so we’re talking to them directly,” Kirwin said.
We’re sending so much love to the boys’ family and friends. This has to be one of the most difficult times in their lives.
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