Atlanta teen dies on first beach visit after being swept underwater by current

An Atlanta teenager drowned on a Georgia beach after being swept away by a current, causing tragedy for his family.

Around 11:45 a.m., authorities said, they were called to Savannah, Tybee Island’s Back River Beach, where three people had been swept away by the waves. Two of them were rescued, but 16-year-old Laquavis McCray was nowhere to be found, according to WANF. After searching for McCray for several hours, game wardens and the marine patrol found his body.

Anita McCray, the teen’s mother, said she was working at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when she learned of her son’s death.

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“When they told me, my heart sank,” she said. “They told me my baby had died, that he had drowned and that the current had taken him.” She said it was her son’s first time at the beach and he had never swum before. “If you’ve never swum before, don’t go that far,” McCray told me. “Stay where the water touches your feet and be aware, don’t let anyone persuade you or pressure you.”

“Laquavis was a fun-loving teenager who made us laugh with his jokes and loved to impress people with his dance moves,” the teen’s grandmother said on a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family. Between July 4 and 7, at least seven boating and water-related incidents were reported in Georgia, including drowning.

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Georgia authorities reported last month that a 12-year-old boy died in an “unfortunate accident” during a family boating outing. According to WMAZ and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, game wardens were called to the scene of a boating accident on the Oconee River in Treutlen County around noon on Saturday, June 17.

According to family and authorities, Colten Foskey was on board when his boat hit a sandbar with his father and two brothers. He was thrown to the ground and swept away by the current. “I’m sure there are a million stories, but this is the only one that matters,” Colten’s father, Jaime Foskey, wrote on Facebook. “I was there and witnessed the incident. We just lost my baby.”

Foskey said, “Hunter and Brody were also in the boat.” “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through this, but everybody’s prayers will help me,” said Colten, who was found unconscious under the boat, authorities said.

After attempting CPR, paramedics took him to the hospital, where he died. Georgia DNR Corporal Rodney Horne said, “We don’t have an exact cause of death yet,” WMAZ said. “The preliminary report indicated blunt force trauma, but part of the investigation is still ongoing.”