JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office identified the 16-year-old boy whose body was found Monday afternoon in the St. Johns River.
Riley Teixeira was in a canoe with two other people who were able to swim ashore after the canoe overturned just before 8 p.m. Sunday night, the sheriff's office said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the boat overturned about 600 feet away from the shore.
According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, at about 1:30 p.m., rescuers were able to find Teixeira's body. It was found in about six to eight feet of water.
"This is not what we wanted," Sheriff Robert Hardwick said at a press briefing Monday afternoon.
The other two boys are okay, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
It is unclear what made the canoe overturn. It is also unclear whether the boys, who appeared to have all been in the same canoe, were wearing life vests at the time of the incident.
The sheriff's office said when the boat overturned, the two boys who survived picked a light out on a dock and swam to it. They went to a nearby home and reported what happened, and that Teixeira was missing.
That's when the first 9-1-1 call was made.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. However, Hardwick said he believes it was an innocent accident and is an example of why people need to be careful on the water.
"These young men went out with no ill will intentions at all, these are just kids being boys," Hardwick said.
Assisting St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in the search was St. Johns Fire Rescue, United States Coast Guard, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, St. Augustine City Fire, St. Augustine Police Department, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said several members of the community also turned out to help during the search for Teixeira.
"The community really came out by the dozens to help us out last night, through the nighttime and into today," Hardwick said. "These people come out in droves when we need help. It not just them, by the way, it's local restaurants, PDQ, and the First Baptist Church too as well."
