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Officials: Child, man drown in separate incidents at Virginia Beach

Irene
Posted at 3:28 PM, Jul 06, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-06 17:28:47-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Authorities say a 12-year-old boy and a 44-year-old man drowned in two separate incidents at Virginia Beach on the same day.

The 12-year-old boy was found dead after going missing while swimming Sunday morning.

The Virginia Beach Police Department and the Coast Guard had searched the water near Shore Drive.

According to the Coast Guard, the boy, identified as Zamari Wilson, was last seen around 10:30 a.m. swimming in the water near the Delta Marriott.

Police say he visited Virginia Beach with his family and stayed at the hotel.

Petty Officer Kimberly Reaves with U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic told WTKR that divers from one of the agencies involved in the search located the boy's body Sunday morning.

The agency launched two 29-foot response boats from Coast Guard Station Little Creek and an M-H 60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City.

Shortly after Zamari's drowning, authorities say a 44-year-old man drowned nearby.

The drownings are not related.

According to officials, rescuers responded to a call around 4:10 p.m. Sunday.

They began searching the area Ryan Michael Neal was last seen.

Around 5 p.m., crews located Neal's body.

According to data from the state's medical examiner's office, more than 900 people have died from accidental drownings in Virginia from 2011-2020.