State officials pessimistic after search is suspended for missing swimmer at Bolsa Chica

Feb. 28, 2017 5:20 PM PT

State officials said Tuesday that they don’t expect that an 18-year-old swimmer who went missing in the water near Huntington Beach over the weekend will be found alive.

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search Sunday for Shaun Linn of Long Beach, who was reported missing about 5:15 p.m. Saturday at Bolsa Chica State Beach, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Sondra-Kay Kneen. A witness saw Linn go into the water but did not see him return to the surface, Kneen said.

“We began searching immediately, and we searched throughout the night, into the morning,” Kneen said. The Coast Guard search included a helicopter and rescue boat.

The search was suspended shortly before 8:30a.m. Sunday.

“We suspended the search after 120 square nautical miles of search area and 15 hours of search with no results,” Kneen said.

State parks spokesman Kevin Pearsall said Tuesday that officials are now waiting for a body to be recovered.

News outlets reported that two other swimmers also were reported missing, but authorities said the swimmers were rescued.

Mejia writes for the Los Angeles Times.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.

Brittny Mejia

Brittny Mejia is a Metro reporter covering federal courts for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote narrative pieces with a strong emphasis on the Latino community and others that make up the diversity of L.A. and California. Mejia was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021 in local reporting for her investigation with colleague Jack Dolan that exposed failures in Los Angeles County’s safety-net healthcare system that resulted in months-long wait times for patients, including some who died before getting appointments with specialists. She joined The Times in 2014.