Body of Teen Lost While Swimming Is Found in Ocean
The body of a 15-year-old Oxnard boy who was presumed to have drowned off Oxnard State Beach recently was pulled from the ocean Sunday near Channel Islands Harbor, authorities said.
Officials from the county medical examiner’s office confirmed Sunday evening that the body found floating in the ocean about one-quarter mile north of the harbor was that of Alex Cabrera.
Oxnard resident Nick Jones, who was jet skiing in the area where Cabrera was last seen, spotted his body about 12:50 p.m., according to Sgt. Don Molony of the Channel Islands Harbor Patrol.
Cabrera was learning to swim July 11 with two friends off Mandalay Beach Resort when strong winds and heavy swells from the north and south converged on the unguarded beach, authorities said.
He was seen clinging to 20-year-old Oscar Tellez and his 16-year-old brother, Luis Tellez, in a desperate fight against the currents. Passersby rescued the Tellez brothers, but lost sight of Cabrera.
The Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, Channel Islands Harbor Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard have searched for the teenager since.
The Coast Guard pulled Cabrera’s body from the ocean about 500 yards offshore at 1:30 p.m., authorities said.
An autopsy is scheduled for today.
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