DESTIN — A beautiful day at the beach ended in tragedy Wednesday when a 14-year-old boy drowned near Norriego Point.

Joaquin Levano Roca, who was from Centreville, Virginia, was vacationing in the area with his parents and two brothers. According to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office report, on Wednesday around 3:56 p.m., his mother, Sandra Eliza Roca Lu, was wading in shallow water with all three boys.

When the current started to get stronger, Roca Lu told her sons it was time to get out of the water, the report said. Two of the boys were hanging onto a float, while Joaquin, who had Down syndrome, was walking a few feet behind her.

According to the report, Roca Lu said she had turned her head for about 30 to 60 seconds as she led the boys back to shore. When she turned back toward Joaquin, he was gone.

Joaquin’s father, Jorge Levano Vasquez, told deputies he had been on the shore taking photos of his family in the water when his wife began to scream that she could not see Joaquin.

Vasquez dropped his camera and rushed into the water. He frantically searched, but could not find his son.

Deputies and Destin beach safety personnel arrived on scene around 4:06 p.m. to find a visibly distraught Roca Lu flagging them down, the report said. Vasquez was still in the water searching for his son.

According to the report, Joaquin’s parents told deputies that he could not swim, but was not wearing a life vest because the area he was wading in was shallow and he was able to walk there.

“I also made contact with Joaquin’s brothers,” one deputy said. “They both stated that one second Joaquin was there and the next he was not visible. They stated there were some deep parts in the area they were wading in.”

Officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Coast Guard and Destin Fire and Rescue arrived shortly and joined in the search. Divers from the Sheriff’s Office entered the water around 5:57 p.m.

Around 6:15 p.m., the divers located Joaquin’s body about 30 feet from where he was last seen.



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DESTIN — A 14-year-old boy who was on vacation with his family drowned in East Pass on Wednesday, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Capt. Ted Pecot said they received a 911 call about 4 p.m. regarding a swimmer in distress off Norriego Point in Destin.

Divers from the Sheriff’s Office found the boy at 6:23 p.m. about 50 feet from where he was swimming, Pecot said.

“Unfortunately, a lot of these places have a quick drop-off,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Office later identified the boy as Joquis Levano of Centreville, Virginia.

Crews from the Coast Guard and Destin Beach Safety were called to help search. Pecot said a military aircraft and a private helicopter also scanned the area for the boy.

The Sheriff’s Office reported that Levano and his family had been at Norriego Point for several hours before he went missing.

Family members said they could not find the boy after he slipped under the water, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

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DESTIN — A 14-year-old boy who was on vacation has drowned in the East Pass on Wednesday, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

Capt. Ted Pecot., control district commander with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, said they received a call about 4p.m. about a boy who went missing while swimming off of Norriego Point.

Divers located the body at 6:23p.m. about 50-feet from where he was swimming, Pecot said.

"Unfortunately a lot of these places have a quick drop off."

Emergency responders from the Coast Guard and Destin Beach Safety were called to help in the search. Pecot said that a military aircraft and a private helicopter were also scanning the area for the boy.

The name of the boy and where he is from has not been released.

"You hope to find these people for the family. The hope is they are out there wandering somewhere," Pecot said.

We will add more information as it becomes available.