Authorities ID Weekend Drowning Victim As Lake Worth Boy, 15

Waves crash south of Boynton Inlet, Nov. 10, 2024. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Palm Beach County authorities identified the victim of a drowning in the ocean Sunday as a 15-year-old Lake Worth boy.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Prestyn Smith, 15, of Lake Worth, was swept out by a wave while swimming at Gulfstream Park, located in the 4400 block of North Ocean Boulevard in Boynton Beach, about a mile south of Boynton Inlet.

Smith was swimming in the ocean with family members when he was swept away by a strong current at about 7:20 a.m. Sunday. Another child, who was not identified by name, was pulled from the ocean before rescuers arrived, but Smith and his mother were still in the water. The mother was rescued, however the teenager could not be located. He was found unresponsive and pronounced deceased by paramedics at 12:31 p.m.

Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, PBSO and the U.S. Coast Guard were all involved in the search for the boy. The case is being handled by PBSO’s Violent Crimes Division, which investigates all fatal incidents.