Authorities say a 9-year-old boy who went missing in the Gulf of Mexico off St. Pete Beach on Saturday is presumed drowned.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the mission to rescue Cameron Bullard of St. Pete Beach has become a mission to recover his body.
Authorities say Bullard, who could not swim, was last seen flailing his arms after being tugged by a strong current while in the ocean playing in knee-deep water with his six siblings and a cousin. A beachgoer and her husband had rushed toward Bullard, but were unable to find him.
Gualtieri says the children were properly supervised and there were no indications of alcohol use or negligence by Bullard's aunt and uncle, who had been watching the children.
