Body found off Anna Maria Island may be missing swimmer
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ANNA MARIA, Fla. (WFLA) — The search for a missing swimmer off Anna Maria Island that began Sunday evening, ended Monday with the recovery of a body.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says witnesses reported seeing two men struggling in the water around 7:00 p.m. off of Bean Point.

People on the beach were able to help rescue one of the men; the other was caught in the current and did not make it back to the beach.

Kevin Wenk was on the beach when the search began.

“We thought it was odd because we heard helicopter traffic. We didn’t know what was going on, but we heard helicopters flying back and forth, and then it wasn’t until today, this is the most police activity we’ve seen, Coast Guard Helicopters going around,” said Wenk.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that 20-year-old Abhigyan Patel had been swimming with a friend off the beach when they were caught in a riptide.

The search continued through the evening. Monday morning, the Manatee County Sheriff’s office says officers from the Longboat Key Police Department recovered a body they found six feet underwater, about a mile offshore.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says it can not confirm if the body found Monday morning is Patel. They are waiting for family members to confirm the identity of the victim found.

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