Body of 11-year-old swept away at Surfside Beach found after dayslong search, officers say

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The body of 11-year-old Joshua Lahai has been found after a dayslong search at Surfside Beach over the weekend, according to authorities.

Joshua went missing on Sunday. Authorities said he was at the beach with his youth football team, playing in the water, when he was washed away by a big wave. The boy’s family said they witnessed it, according to EquuSearch.

Surfside Beach Chief of Police Philip Hester said the rescue search for Joshua started minutes after he went underwater at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday

Since then, authorities have been working endlessly to find him. On Monday, it was reported that his shorts had been found during the search.

The search continued on Tuesday, and in the afternoon, an officer was speaking with a fisherman who then discovered the body of the young boy.

Authorities said Joshua was found half a mile west of where he was last seen.