Missing Sarasota swimmer's body found

SARASOTA, Fla. - The body of a swimmer who disappeared after going underwater in Sarasota County over the weekend has been recovered.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office says the body of 23-year-old Jose Daniel Venta Ciro, of Sarasota, was recovered late Monday afternoon around 9150 Blind Pass Rd. on Siesta Key.

Investigators say a passing boater contacted the sheriff’s office about the remains, which were found about ¼ of a mile south of where crews were searching. 

The body was positively identified as the missing swimmer from photographs provided to the sheriff’s office. 

Courtesy: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. 

First responders went to Turtle Beach off Midnight Pass Road around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday after a call about two to three swimmers in distress. 

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With the help of bystanders, the Sarasota County Fire Department says it was able to recover all but one swimmer. 

Air, marine, and land crews from the SCSO, SCFD, and United States Coast Guard searched for the swimmer into the evening but suspended the efforts as night fell. 

On Monday morning, the Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force (SURF) and sheriff’s marine units went out to the beach to help with the search and recovery, along with an SCFD marine unit and the United States Coast Guard. 

Sheriff’s units used advanced side-scan sonar provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). 

They focused on an underwater search based on the family’s account of where he was last seen. 

The body will be turned over to the medical examiner’s office. Although the exact cause of his death in the water has not been confirmed, NOAA says it’s been a bad week for rip currents, with warnings up and down the coast. 

"If you're caught in a rip current, try to relax, stay calm and just kind of let the current take you," said Keily Delerme, a Tampa Bay meteorologist with NOAA. "Then you can start swimming along the shore, not against the current. The most important thing is for people to check weather conditions in the forecast and see before they go to the beach."

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