The U.S. Coast Guard found the body of a swimmer Monday Morning after he was reported missing Sunday night near a Rhode Island beach.
Officials say the victim, Matthew Smith, of Fitchburg, MA, drowned. The 64-year-old man was reported last seen swimming about a half-mile off Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett, RI.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Division of Law Enforcement and Narragansett Police and Fire searched Sunday night and resumed at sunrise Monday. A Narragansett Fire boat recovered the body after it was spotted by the Coast Guard helicopter.
Narragansett Police and Fire received a 911 call at about 9 p.m. Sunday that a swimmer had gone missing at 7:30 p.m. at Scarborough. The beach was closed and no lifeguards were on duty.
The DEM restricted swimming to waist-deep at state beaches Sunday because of strong surf and riptides following the storm system that went through Rhode Island Friday, July 10, into Saturday.
Lifeguards at Scarborough made several rescues near Black Point throughout the day. At one point, beach managers restricted swimming to knee-deep.
The U.S. Coast Guard deployed response boats and a helicopter to aid in the search, the agency said on Twitter, along with several local agencies. Local authorities who assisted in the search, include the Narragansett, Warwick, and East Greenwich fire departments.
