EMERALD ISLE, N.C. (AP) – Police say the body of a North Carolina teenager who disappeared in heavy surf has been recovered.
Emerald Isle police say in a news release that the body of 18-year-old Ian Frazier Lewis was found on a portion of the beach strand at around 3:30 a.m. Monday.
The police department cites witnesses who said Lewis was swimming on Friday with friends, including 17-year-old Mary Paige Merical, who was hospitalized after she was pulled from the water by rescuers. Vidant Medical Center in Greenville said on Monday that Merical’s parents said their daughter is in critical condition.
News outlets reported the U.S. Coast Guard and Emerald Isle officials searched through the weekend, though the Coast Guard halted its search on Saturday.
The two teenagers were seniors at Wake Forest High School.
