A 37-year-old man and his 3-year-old son were wading on a sandy shelf off an Apollo Beach, Florida, beach on June 11, 2021, when a strong tidal current carried them into the deep water of a channel that flowed toward Tampa Bay. Janosh Purackal called for help as he clung to his son while being carried to a point about 440 feet from the beach. Kristoff Jaleel Murray, 27, of Tampa, Florida, entered the water and swam toward Purackal and son Daniel. Murray swam at least 150 feet toward them, but was unable to reach them. At some point he was seen swimming back to the beach, but he submerged. Purackal and Daniel became separated as the current carried them farther from shore. Rescue authorities recovered them about a mile west of where they had last been seen. Murray’s body was found three days later on a beach about 1.5 miles west of the scene. Purackal, Daniel, and Murray drowned.
91761-10262