A body recovered by a paddleboarder off Jacksonville Beach, Fla., this week has been identified by police as that of a swimmer who has been missing since last Sunday, officials said Friday.
In a release sent to Fox News Digital by the Jacksonville Police Department, a coroner said the body had been identified as Curtis Newkirk Jr., 19.
Newkirk was found about 100 yards from the shoreline shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday after a thorough search by law enforcement.
Missing Louisiana woman’s body recovered from Mississippi River
(Curtis Newkirk Jr. missing while swimming near the pier at Jacksonville Beach. Jacksonville Beach Police Department/Diane Macdonald/Getty)
He was reportedly swimming with friends south of the Jacksonville Beach pier when he went missing.
Some of his friends got into trouble in the water, but everyone else made it to shore, TMJ-TV reported.
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The US Coast Guard and local police have been searching Newkirk by sea and air since last weekend.
