PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – Pinellas County Deputies assigned to the Marine & Environmental Lands Unit are searching for a missing swimmer in the area of 19534 Guld Boulevard in Indian Shores.
Deputies assigned to the Underwater Search and Recovery Team have located the body of the missing swimmer, 17-year-old William Zhang.
According to detectives, Zhang was visiting Florida from Quebec, Canada, with his swim team for a swim camp. Zhang and several other swim team members were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, conducting swimming drills. It was discovered Zhang did not return to shore at the end of the drills.
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“Per detectives, the swim coaches advised that they checked for riptides or hazards before the swimmers entered the water,” said PCSO.
At approximately 5:23 p.m., Zhang was located and pronounced deceased.
Search efforts were conducted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Indian Shores Police Department, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the United States Coast Guard.
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