“It’s tragic. It’s upsetting. It’s definitely not the outcome we wanted.”
Those were the words of Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez as he confirmed the recovery of Enrique Cortez-Dubon’s body from the Gulf of Mexico, according to WJHG.
“This is about as bad as he gets. No police officer wants to come up here and say that a child has died, especially no police chief wants to come up here and say that happens in your city. They came down with a certain amount of children, now they’re going to have to go back home with one less,” said Chief Talamantez.
The six-year-old was last seen in knee high water, according to police officials.
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“Make no mistake, this is not the parent’s fault. This is nobody’s fault. This was a tragic accident. The fact is that the Gulf of Mexico was a dangerous place. You need to respect it as you would anything else that is dangerous,” Chief Talamantez added.
The boy’s body is in the custody of the medical examiner’s office. Talamantez said the investigation is ongoing.