Authorities have identified the body of a Texas teen who drowned at South Padre Island this week, and his family is asking for help from the public to pay for his funeral.
The body of 17-year-old Los Fresnos native Alberto Christian Buitureira was recovered after a 24-hour search about eight miles north of Beach Access 5 on Thursday, October 13, according to KXAN.
Cameron County Park Rangers chief Horacio Zamora confirmed the teenager's identity to ValleyCentral. Butitureira's family started an online fundraiser on Friday to pay for the teen's funeral expenses.
Family sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for teen's funeral
The teen's mom, Cristina Garcia, posted on GoFundMe that her only son was taken from her so soon and unexpectedly and that this money was for his funeral expenses. The fund had already exceeded the family's goal of $3,000, having collected $10,165 from 250 donations.
Justice of the Peace Benito Ochoa IV said that the teenager lived in Los Fresnos and had family there as well as in Port Isabel. Ochoa said an autopsy had been ordered for the 17-year-old to determine the cause of his death.
Sources confirmed that the teen's family, from Los Fresnos and Port Isabel, was notified about the incident. Ochoa said it is a tragedy and would like people to be a little more aware of their currents and how to educate themselves.
He advised people that they should educate themselves on how to swim and read the currents if they go swimming. Ochoa said they should know how to work with the current instead of working against it to avoid things of this nature.
Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center received word from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island at 4:12 p.m. on Wednesday. They received a 911 call about a missing swimmer last seen in the water near Beach Access 5.
Los Fresnos School District to offer on-campus counseling services
The 17-year-old was described as a Latino male who stands 5 feet and 10 inches tall and weighs approximately 140 pounds. Buitureira was last seen wearing glasses and black shorts by witnesses.
An HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi, and a Station South Padre Island 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement boat crew were sent to search for Buitureira. Cameron County Park Rangers and the South Padre Island Fire Department were also helping with the search efforts.
According to a Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District statement, Buitureira was a senior at Los Fresnos High School. The district said that on-campus counseling services would be provided to students and staff at Los Fresnos High School to help cope with the sudden loss of Buitureira, KRGV reported.
