A 9-year-old boy who went missing in the Gulf of Mexico off St. Pete Beach on Saturday afternoon is presumed drowned, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
Cameron J. Bullard was playing in knee-deep water near the 18th Avenue beach access when he was swept up by a "fluke" wave and pulled from the shore by the current. A bystander tried to rescue him but was unsuccessful and saw Cameron, who was not able to swim, go under, Gualtieri said.
Crews from the sheriff's office, Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Eckerd College Search and Research searched for Cameron into the night Saturday and picked up again early Sunday. But around 12:40 p.m. Sunday, Gualtieri said the operation had transitioned "from a search and rescue mission to recovery mission."
Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies patrol along St. Pete Beach Sunday afternoon in their recovery effort for the 9-year-old boy's body. (Trevor Pettiford, staff)
Cameron, his six siblings and a cousin were brought to the beach around 1 p.m. Saturday by Cameron's uncle and aunt, Glenn and Wojay Robinson. They were watching the children while Cameron's mother, Krystal Naar, was at work.
"Seeing will be more of a reality for me because that's my baby," Naar said Sunday of trying to come to terms with a mother's worst nightmare. "(Cameron's siblings) are upset. Some of them, their last moments were seeing him in the water, so we're dealing with that."
Gualtieri said the children were properly supervised and there were no indications of alcohol use or negligence by the adults.
"Although Cameron couldn't swim, they didn't have them in too deep of water under the circumstances," Gualtieri said. "A fluke wave came up and knocked them over, and then, because of the current, it (swept) them out, and that's what caused this."
A couple who lives on St. Pete Beach saw Cameron flailing in the water. The husband ran into the water, "but as he went out there, the current carried (Cameron) out," Gualtieri said. "His arms were in the air as he went under."
Gualtieri said numerous reported of sightings of Cameron were called into the sheriff's office, but a "thorough investigation" found no evidence of anything other than a tragic drowning accident.
Cameron was a student at Gulf Beaches Elementary School, a magnet school for technology, and a family member said he was an honor roll student. Naar, a single mother who was raising seven children, said Cameron loved sports, science and church and that he was "just a very special child."
Gualtieri said Cameron's biological father is in prison and will be notified of the drowning through the prison system.
Gualtieri said searchers believe they know where Cameron's body is, but they haven't been able to get their boats to the location because of rough conditions. Besides boats equipped with side sonar, searchers are using a helicopter and ATVs to search for Cameron's body.
Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies patrol along St. Pete Beach Sunday afternoon in their recovery effort for the 9-year-old boy's body. (Trevor Pettiford, staff)
Crews search St. Pete Beach for Cameron Bullard as the sun sets. (Dalia Dangerfield, Staff)
Searchers look for a 9-year-old boy who went missing on St. Pete Beach on Saturday afternoon. Patrol deputies and marine units, as well as the Coast Guard and FWC, were participating in the search.