‘Fun-loving’ teen is pulled underwater and drowns at Georgia beach, authorities say
A trip to the beach ended in tragedy after a Georgia teen was swept underwater, officials and his family say.
Laquavis McCray, 16, of Atlanta, drowned Friday, July 5, while visiting Tybee Island, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Game wardens were called to the beach around 11:45 a.m. about a drowning near Back River, authorities said in a news release.
Three people in the water went under, according to DNR officials. Two of them were pulled to safety, but the third person — identified as McCray — didn’t make it out.
Family members said he was visiting the beach with friends when he was “swept away by the currents.”
“Laquavis was a fun-loving teenager who kept us laughing with his jokes and liked to impress people with his dance moves,” the teen’s grandmother wrote on a GoFundMe page launched on the family’s behalf.
Game wardens, with help from Chatham Marine Patrol and Tybee Marine Squadron, searched for the teen before divers found his body around 3:30 p.m., DNR officials said.
The drowning was one of at least seven water and boating incidents reported across Georgia from July 4 to July 7, according to the agency.
Tybee Island is about a 20-mile drive southeast from Savannah.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 12:37 PM with the headline "‘Fun-loving’ teen is pulled underwater and drowns at Georgia beach, authorities say."