Missing swimmer found safe after disappearing in water off Siesta Key Beach: SCSO
SIESTA KEY, Fla. - The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office says a 23-year-old man is safe after vanishing from a beach Tuesday night, sparking a massive air and water search by multiple emergency agencies.
Missing man located
What we know:
According to SCSO, Ethan McNary, 23, was located safely early Wednesday afternoon near the intersection of Beneva Road and Clark Road.
Siesta Key Beach search
The backstory:
The search began Tuesday night after the sheriff’s office received a call from a witness around 10:22 p.m. who said they saw a man enter the water off Siesta Key Beach and never return to shore.
Deputies say the man was observed as an adult Asian male in his early 20s, approximately 6 feet tall, with tattoos on his arms.
Investigators located several personal items on the beach that were believed to belong to the missing man.
SCSO said a search of the surrounding beach and waters with the help of the Sarasota County Emergency Services (SCFD), U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater (USCG), Venice Police Department (VPD), and Sarasota Police Department (SPD) was unsuccessful Tuesday night, and they resumed their search Wednesday morning.
Sarasota County response
What they're saying:
"We would like to thank our SCSO personnel, partnering law enforcement agencies and everyone who assisted in the extensive search efforts that led to this positive outcome," the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in an official statement.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed why McNary left the beach or how he traveled to the intersection where deputies located him. Police have not released details regarding whether he required medical attention after his disappearance.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, who detailed the timeline of the disappearance, the multi-agency search response and the final updates on the location of the missing person.