- The twins, Josue and Jefferson Perez were last seen on Sunday wading in chest-deep water 20 yards from shore near Galveston’s Pleasure Pier.
- The twin boys disappeared in the water near the Pleasure Pier on Galveston Island, prompting the Galveston Island Beach Patrol and volunteer crews to launch a search operation.
- The twins were last seen swimming on the pier’s west side at around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The twins, Josue and Jefferson Perez were last seen on Sunday wading in chest-deep water 20 yards from shore near Galveston’s Pleasure Pier.
The twin boys disappeared in the water near the Pleasure Pier on Galveston Island, prompting the Galveston Island Beach Patrol and volunteer crews to launch a search operation.
Nearly 24 hours later, the search area was expanded from Stewart Beach to 101st Street.
The twins were last seen swimming on the pier’s west side at around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The family reported the boys missing an hour later and added that they had last seen them in water about waist to chest deep but never saw them go under.
They also revealed that the boys couldn’t swim.
The family has visited for a day from Houston to spend a day at the beach in Galveston.
Beach patrol, police, fire, and EMS couldn’t respond to the incident, and search crews were launched to find the missing boys.
The U.S. Coast Guard flew its helicopter overnight in hopes of locating them. The search continued along the shoreline and in the water on Monday morning, with officials on jet skis searching and diving.
Family members of the missing twins were present at the site, but they were too distraught to speak on camera, and they shared a photo of the boys.
Lt. Austin Kirwin with beach patrol warned the public about strong currents and waves in Galveston, especially during this time of year, and advised parents to watch their children closely and look out for jetties and piers in the water.
‘Nobody confirms seeing them go underwater,’ said Lt. Austin Kirwin with Galveston Beach Patrol.
‘So essentially what happened is they were out in the water, the parents briefly lost sight of them, and they looked back up into that area, and they did not see them any longer.’
‘The real limiting factor for us right now is this fog rolling in,’ he said at a press conference on Monday.
A lateral current tends to form in the Gulf waters in Galveston, which, when it hits an object like jetties, creates a rip current that pulls swimmers out to sea away from shore. The search area was expanded in light of this information.
The public is reminded to swim within their limits and stay near a lifeguard if possible. Non-swimmers and children should always wear life jackets when in or around the water.
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