'His heart was right': Family of teen missing near Fort Fisher pleads for more support
On a windy Tuesday afternoon, family and friends of David Hernandez stood on the large rocks of Fort Fisher while looking at the Atlantic Ocean through binoculars, hoping to find him.
As a search entered its fourth day for the 16-year-old who went missing, officials now consider it a recovery effort. One of the family members trying to get closure is his sister, Kayla Hernandez.
"He was very loved, and a lot of people and my relatives are impacted by this," she said while standing next to her mother, Idalia Hernandez.
According to reports, Hernandez was spending time with friends at a birthday gathering on Saturday before he disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean near the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area.
Park rangers began searching for Hernandez with the help of several other agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, and Kure Beach's fire and police departments. His father, Luis Miranda, went on a boat looking for him.
"We would appreciate if more people would support us and try to look out to see if they can find him because we don't know where his body could be," Kayla Hernandez said. "It could end up in a different part of the ocean."
David attended North Brunswick High School in Leland, where he was a member of the wrestling team. Kayla said her brother was an inspiration to others and a strong person.
Wesley Bullard, David's youth pastor at Bridge of Life Community Church, came out to pray with the family. He said David was a bright young man and a deep thinker.
"He was a joy to be around," Bullard said. "He was a joy to be around. He was always happy. He was always fun, and he got along with everybody. Not all kids are like that, but he was one that was."
Bullard said he had a sincere heart and wanted to know more about God.
"He would come to me and we would talk for hours about religion, faith, and who Jesus was," he said. "It's a peace knowing his heart was right before what happened, happened."
Katie Hall, public information officer for the N.C. Parks and Recreation, said there were high wind conditions and strong currents near the shore on Saturday.
"When they tried to get the boats in the water and helicopters in the air, they were called back because it was very unsafe conditions, even for searchers to be out," Hall said.
Efforts continued Sunday. Underwater drones were added for the search on Monday. Boat searches are not helpful at this point because offshore currents and a large coverage area in the ocean. At this point, helicopters are the most effective way to search.
Hall said searches will continue Tuesday. Hall said the search is now considered a recovery effort because of the temperature of the water and the amount of time he's been missing.
"We're just heartbroken since he's such a young man and to have him gone missing, celebrating, doing something he obviously enjoyed," Hall said. "It's so sad. We're just heartbroken for the family, but we won't give up until we find him."
With the Wilmington area and its beaches being popular destinations for tourist season, Hall and authorities are asking visitors and residents to be careful. Hall said it's always a good idea to swim while lifeguards are out. Lifeguards will be at the Fort Fisher area around Memorial Day.
She added that it's also dangerous to swim when the water is cold with the temperature in the mid-60s.
"Your body can go into shock and your muscles can freeze up on you," she said. "That's a very real possibility when you're swimming in cold water and the water is still very cold compared to our body temperatures."
Hall said visitors should look out for rip current warnings or notices about other dangerous conditions.
"Those are posted when there's a very real risk of getting swept out, away from the shore," she said. "So, it's very important to pay attention to those."
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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Search continues near Fort Fisher for 16-year-old missing swimmer
