What happened to William Zhang? Missing swimmer from Indian Shores Florida found dead

William Zhang, a 17-year-old swimmer, was reportedly found dead on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, shortly after he disappeared off Indian Shores, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

Zhang was reported missing Wednesday morning after he didn’t return to the shore with a group conducting swim drills in the Gulf of Mexico. The disappearance prompted the hours-long search, which tragically culminated with the victim being found dead by deputies with the underwater search and recovery team a little before 5:30 pm on Wednesday. In a press release, authorities said:

“Search efforts were conducted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Indian Shores Police Department, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the United States Coast Guard. At approximately 5:23 p.mZhang was located and pronounced deceased."

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Missing swimmer William Zhang was visiting Florida from Canada

According to a press release from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, William Zhang was visiting Florida from Quebec, Canada, with his swim team for a camp at the time of the incident. Detailing the incident, authorities said Zhang and several other swim team members were conducting swimming drills in the Gulf of Mexico, on Wednesday morning.

Alarms were raised, when, shortly after 9 am, his team noticed Zhang hadn't returned to shore at the end of the drills. PCSO said the Indian Shores Police Department, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the U.S. Coast Guard all searched for the teen along with the department before he was found deceased. In the press release, authorities said:

“Deputies assigned to the Underwater Search and Recovery Team have located the body of the missing swimmer, 17-year-old William Zhang. According to detectives."

During their investigation, PCSO learned swim coaches checked for riptides or hazards before the swimmers entered the water. However, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue Chief Jeffrey Davidson told FOX 13 the water was choppy and rip currents were visible on Wednesday morning, adding they improved later on.

"There was one from the group in the water. We had visuals on that person. Some other people thought they had a visual of the other person, but the seas were so rough and there were so many buoys out there, that it was hard to distinguish if it was an actual person. They were a couple of hundred yards off the coast," Davidson added.

Authorities said the victim’s death was not suspicious and added his next of kin was notified.