A human head that washed ashore earlier this month on a beach in Key Biscayne, Florida has been identified as belonging to a 19-year-old man who officials and family said vanished in the ocean earlier this month.
The victim’s family identified him as Victor E. Castaneda Jr. who disappeared into the water while swimming off South Pointe Beach, south of Miami Beach on Nov. 9.
Before he vanished, he and his sister, 17-year-old Hailey Clements, struggled in the water, Castaneda called for help, the Miami Herald reported, and bystanders managed to rescue his sister but could not save her brother.
Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson Officer Christopher Bess told the outlet Saturday authorities continued to investigate what happened to Castaneda in the water.
During a memorial service held one week after he disappeared, Clements addressed a crowd gathered to mourn on the beach at South Pointe.
“Victor was a loving guy, a sweet guy,” the outlet reported Clements said. “Ever since I was little, Victor always told me he would protect me and he died protecting me. He’s my everything, he’s my other half. I’ll never stop missing you.”