Teenager's head washes up on beach after heroic act to save his sister went wrong
Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr.'s last act was to heroically save his younger sister from drowning off Miami Beach earlier this month, before he was swept out to sea
A teenager whose decapitated head was found washed up on a Miami Beach has been identified as a 19-year-old who tragically died after trying to save his drowning sister.
Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr. and his younger sister Hailey Clements got into trouble with the tide when they went for a swim off Miami Beach, Florida, on November 9. When the siblings were dragged out to sea by a viscous rip current, Castaneda heroically managed to throw Hailey back towards the shore, who managed to scramble to safety.
Unfortunately, Castaneda did not make it out of the waves and was swept further out to sea. Despite a search from the US Coast Guard, no trace of him was found until a grim discovery was made on November 12 by a beach worker in Key Biscayne, when a severed head washed onto the shore.
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Detectives who closed off the beach took the grisly find for examination by the medical examiner. Authorities initially did not make the connection to Victor’s drowning three days earlier, and didn’t rule out homicide.
The confirmation that the remains belonged to Castaneda was given by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner this Friday (November 15), though details regarding the cause and manner of death remain undisclosed.
As a tribute to the brave man, family and friends converged at the shore for a memorial service on Saturday. Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue boats sprayed water cannons in salute, reports the Miami Herald, while Castaneda's bereaved sisters donned Forever 19 apparel and expressed their thanks for the community's overwhelming support following the tragedy.
"He would have loved to see how many people have come and come together and love him wholeheartedly," Chloe Castaneda told WBFS-TV, reflecting on her brother's impact. "My brother was an amazing, amazing person and to know him was to love him," Jessica, another sister, added.
She further said: "He couldn't have been more perfect. The most kind person I've ever known." Castaneda was one of a large family, being one of eight siblings.