Missing SpaceX employee found dead on shoreline of Texas beach: Sheriff
Kevin Edward Escobar, a SpaceX employee, was found dead on the shoreline of Boca Chica Beach in Brownsville, Texas on Monday after he went swimming and got stuck in the water the day before.
The search for a missing SpaceX employee in Texas has been suspended after his body was deposited by the tide on the shoreline of Boca Chica Beach, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities.
Coast Guard watchstanders and deputies with the Cameron County Sheriff's Office began searching for a missing swimmer around 7:45 a.m. Sunday. Deputies stationed at SpaceX were told that the swimmer was in distress at Boca Chica Beach in Brownsville, Texas, according to a news release shared on Facebook by the sheriff's office.
Responding deputies arrived at the shore where they encountered a SpaceX employee who told them his co-worker had gone into the water to swim and was now not able to swim back, the sheriff's office said. The deputies noticed another SpaceX employee jump into the water and try to save his co-worker who was more than 50 yards away, but he was unable to do so due to the strong currents and high tides, according to the department.
The co-worker was able to walk back safely, but the SpaceX employee remained missing as he went underwater and deputies lost sight of him, the sheriff's office said. He would not be seen again until Monday at 6:33 p.m. when his body appeared on the shoreline of Boca Chica Beach, according to the release.
Missing SpaceX employee's body found, identified
Deputies and U.S. Border Patrol Agents retrieved the body at 10 p.m. and positively identified the swimmer, the department said. The employee was identified as Kevin Edward Escobar, CBS 4 News reported, citing authorities.
Paste BN contacted SpaceX, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Cameron County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday but has not received a response.
Rescue crews from the Coast Guard and partner agencies "searched by air and sea" for about 18 combined hours since the initial report and covered over 205 square miles, according to the Coast Guard's release.
On Tuesday, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. ordered the temporary closure of access to Boca Chica Beach due to anticipated testing activities for SpaceX. This closure will last until midnight, a separate release shared on the sheriff's office's Facebook said.
SpaceX has done testing at Boca Chica Beach since 2021, according to Cameron County documents.