Body of 14-year-old boy swept away near Topsail Beach washes ashore on Camp Lejeune base

Family says the body of 14-year-old Mainor Perez has been found after days of searching.

Perez’s body washed ashore on base at Camp Lejeune days after being swept away near North Topsail Beach. .

Search crews have been continuing search and recovery efforts ever since a Perez went missing near North Topsail Beach on Thursday.

Camp Lejeune contacted Topsail Beach authorities around 9:44 a.m. on Sunday to notify them a body had come ashore. North Topsail Police notified the victim’s family a body had been found.

Teenager swept away near Topsail Beach on July 4

Brothers Yunior and Mainor Perez had waded out into the water of New River Inlet and were fishing when Mainor, 14, was swept away Yunior told WRAL News.

Witnesses in the area reported that passengers in a nearby boat helped pull Yunior Perez into the boat. He made it to shore and reported that his brother had gone under.

Yunior went to lay down in the sand and later heard ‘help help help.’

On Saturday afternoon, Mainor Perez, a student at Southern Wayne High School in Dudley, was still missing.

“He couldn’t do anything because I saw him in the boat and he tried to swim back by himself,” Yunior Perez, Brother of missing Teenager said.

North Topsail Beach Police began a search and deployed a drone.

“The person that was on the boat he rescued one of my brothers and then it took them 30-40 seconds,” Yunior said.

North Topsail Beach Fire Rescue along with surrounding agencies launched boats and the Coast Guard was on-site performing a search by helicopter and boat.

“Sigh-it’s been really hard because he was the only doing favors for everybody,” Yunior said. “Doesn’t matter what.”

New River Inlet, located at the mouth of New River at the north end of Topsail Island, is known for strong currents, and signs are posted along the beach warning swimmers.

While this search and rescue was in progress, there were a total of four water rescue calls in various locations along the 12 miles of beach.

“We’re going to miss him so much. I’m not sure how we’re going to go through this,” Yunior said. “It’s really really hard.”

Rip currents and rough surf were a threat up and down the North Carolina coast through the holiday weekend.

“We’re trying to at least recover his body because we can’t just leave him there underwater,” Yunior said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe to help the family with expenses.