10-year-old boy's body found after he drowned while celebrating his birthday with family

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Monday, May 4, 2020
Galveston Co. officials push water safety after 10-year-old boy drowns
Galveston Co. officials push water safety after 10-year-old boy drownsWarm weather is bringing families out to newly reopened beaches in Galveston, and while all the talk is about COVID-19, there's another danger in the water that's always there.

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A child who drowned at Crystal Beach in Galveston County has been identified.

The Galveston County sheriff says 10-year-old Micah Batson of Little Rock, Arkansas was in town celebrating his birthday.

Around 11:55 a.m. on Saturday, the boy and his father went missing while swimming near Crystal Beach near the Bolivar Peninsula, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Watchstanders launched a helicopter air crew and two boat crews to help search for the boy.

Deputies later confirmed the father was found alive.

Around 3:15 p.m., officers found Micah's body near the area of the beach where a 10-year-old boy was reported missing.

The boy's father told officials that they were in the water, just above waist deep, when a wave came and knocked them over. When the dad came up, he said a current separated him from his son.

The dad said his son was fighting the current trying to get back to him, before he disappeared.

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