A 60-year-old woman from Missouri has become the fifth tourist in four days to die off the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida, due to dangerous riptides. Debbie Szymanski of St. Louis was found unresponsive by family members in the Gulf waters around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. They were bringing her to shore when Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies and emergency medical services arrived on the scene near Carillon on the west end of Panama City Beach, according to a Facebook post by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Szymanski was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. She was a victim of a riptide, as reported by the New York Post.
Two days prior, three young men from Alabama who had traveled to the same area with a group of friends had just checked into their rental and went for a swim when they got into distress, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. The three men were caught in a rip current shortly after entering the water. They have been identified as Harold Denzel Hunter, 25; Jemonda Ray, 24; and Marius Richardson, 24, from Birmingham. All three were fathers.
Last Thursday, 19-year-old Ryker Milton from Oklahoma died after being caught in a rip current off Panama City Beach, as reported by Oklahoma City TV station KOCO. That same day, a Pennsylvania couple visiting Florida with their six children drowned after they were caught in a rip current while swimming.
Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. About 100 people drown from rip currents along U.S. beaches each year, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association.
Brian Warter, 51, and 48-year-old Erica Wishard, along with two of their mostly teenage children, were caught in the current on Hutchinson Island along Florida’s southeast coast, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. The two children were able to break free of the current and tried to help their parents but were forced to swim ashore when conditions became too dangerous. Martin County Ocean Rescue attempted life-saving measures and took the couple to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
The fifth tourist in just four days died in the waters off the same Florida beach town on Sunday. A 60-year-old woman visiting the Sunshine State from Missouri was the latest victim of the sea’s dangerous riptides in Panama City Beach. Her death came after three men drowned on Friday — one day after a teen died in the Gulf waters.
In the latest tragedy, Debbie Szymanski of St. Louis was enjoying the beach near the Carillon neighborhood with her family when they realized she was not responding after going out for a swim around 11:30 a.m., the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said. Family members grabbed her and began bringing her to shore as sheriff’s deputies and EMS rushed in. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Two days earlier, three young dads from Birmingham, Alabama, were killed just minutes after arriving at an Airbnb they had rented with a group of six for a vacation in Panama City Beach. The friends — Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, Jemonda Ray, 24, and Marius Richardson, 24 — checked into their rental near the Watercress Condominiums on the beach just before 8 p.m. and rushed into the ocean for a quick dip, according to the sheriff’s office. Within minutes, all three got caught in a rip current.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Services, Coast Guard, and Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission all responded and searched the dark waters from ground level and from above, using helicopters. The three men were all eventually found and pulled from the water, but all three died at local hospitals, the sheriff’s office said.
“The acts of courage by first responders were amazing,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said in a statement. “Many of our rescue swimmers with the Sheriff’s Office, Bay County Emergency Services, and Panama City Beach went into the dark and dangerous waters for over two hours to attempt to rescue and search for the young men. I worry about the emotional toll that these situations take on first responders as I know I’m struggling with it as well.”
Their deaths shook the local community and first responders. “I have such a heavy heart this morning about the loss of three young visitors to our community,” Ford said the following day. “I’m praying for their family and ask that you do the same. It is such a tragedy.”
Ray and Richardson were cousins who grew up like brothers, and Hunter was their friend, family members told AL.com. Ray was the dad of a toddler son and worked at Amazon, Richardson was a married father of a 2-year-old son, and Hunter was a dad of a young son and daughter, according to the local outlet. Ray’s girlfriend and Richardson’s wife were also on the trip.
The first of the five victims, 19-year-old Ryker Milton, died Thursday evening after he went out for a swim and got caught in a current, local ABC affiliate station KOCO News reported. Milton, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was with a friend at the beach around 4 p.m. when a rip current caught him, the station reported. Lifeguards pulled him from the gulf and began life-saving measures on the beach before he was brought to an area hospital in critical condition. He died in the emergency room, Panama City officials told the station.
The teen was a star soccer player at Hilldale High School, from which he graduated in 2023, according to online tributes. “Today, we lost one of the most special kids to come through our program. It’s so hard to describe this young man in words that will do his life justice,” Hilldale Soccer said in a Facebook post. “From all of the coaches, players, parents, and more, we love you Ryker. It was an honor to coach you, play with you, and cheer you on. You changed all of our lives. We will miss you so much.”
The sheriff’s office and other officials have repeatedly warned people to stay out of the gulf waters if red flags are posted. “PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE WATER,” Ford posted on Facebook Sunday after Szymanski was brought ashore. “The water can appear calm but underneath currents are treacherous today. It’s just too dangerous right now to swim.”
The five victims were all swimming when either double or single red flags were posted on beaches. Double red flags indicate “extremely dangerous conditions” and that no one should be swimming as the water is closed. Single red flags indicated “high hazard conditions with high surf and/or currents.”
Source: New York Post, KOCO News, AL.com, Bay County Sheriff’s Office Facebook
