Dad, daughter swimming with family drown when rip current pulls them away, Florida cops say

A dad and his daughter who were swimming with family at a beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast died when a strong rip current pulled them offshore, according to Florida deputies.

The dad, Michael Stephens, 42, was at a beach in Pass-a-Grille with three daughters and one of their boyfriends on April 23, according to a news release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Stephens, two daughters and the boyfriend were in the water when they started to notice a rip current getting stronger, the release says.

The boyfriend, who is 20, helped his 20-year-old girlfriend out of the water, and a 13-year-old daughter on shore called 911, according to the sheriff’s office. The boyfriend ran back into the water to try to help Stephens and his 10-year-old daughter, Isabella Stephens, but they were too far away from the shore.

Deputies responded to the beach just before 6:45 p.m., the release says.

Just before 8 p.m., deputies in the sheriff’s office’s flight unit saw the dad and 10-year-old daughter about half a mile off the coast, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies from the marine unit, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, retrieved them from the water.

First responders took them to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead, the release says.

Detectives are still investigating the incident but say the drownings were accidental.

No obituaries could be found online for Michael and Isabella Stephens.

Pass-a-Grille is a small peninsula about 30 miles southwest of Tampa.

Rip currents are narrow channels of fast-moving water flowing away from shore, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Swimmers who try to swim directly against the current and back to shore can become fatigued, according to the administration.

About 100 people are killed by rip currents each year in the U.S., NOAA reported. Lifeguards rescue thousands of people from rip currents annually.

This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 8:24 AM with the headline "Dad, daughter swimming with family drown when rip current pulls them away, Florida cops say."