Eight-year-old boy’s body recovered after falling in beach Inlet

By Terri Parker

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    BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — The search for a missing child who fell into the Boynton Inlet lasted for hours, starting just after 6 a.m. when 911 operators received a frantic call from a father suddenly alone on the Boynton Inlet seawall.

“At about 6:30, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was notified of an incident here at Boynton Inlet Park. There were some people that were fishing and one person was found missing — presumed falling in the water off the seawall,” said Fire Captain Tom Reyes

That person was an 8-year-old boy whose father turned away for a second and then realized his son had fallen in.

“We had divers, swimmers in the water within 10 minutes of the first call,” said Reyes.

Multiple agencies assisted in the search with divers in the water, searchers on jet skis, boats scouring the ocean, and jet skis up and down the inlet and the shore.

As the search continued, the boy’s distraught family huddled on the sea wall with an official emotional support dog there to comfort them as they waited in agony for any news.

But, after an hour and a half, hopes dimmed, and the search turned from rescue to recovery.

“Because, unfortunately, someone’s who’s been underwater for over an hour, the chances of a positive outcome are very, very slim,” said Reyes.

At 10:39 a.m., the Boynton Beach Fire Rescue Dive Team found the child on the north side of the inlet, on the ocean side.

His distraught family hugged in disbelief that their little boy was gone.

The Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit is investigating.

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