NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH — A body found in the water near the area of Canal Drive in Sneads Ferry has been preliminary identified as Marquest Page Jr., a 24-year-old from Laurinburg, North Carolina.
Page Jr. went missing after attempting to retrieve his young stepdaughter who had wandered too far into the ocean on Monday, June 1. According to police reports, the child was recovered but Page Jr. was pulled out by the current.
At 10:40 a.m. Monday, exactly one week after Page went missing, a boater contacted Onslow County officials to report a deceased individual in the water. Both the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and the North Topsail Police Department responded to the call.
READ MORE: ‘Almost certainly a recovery’: Family of missing swimmer calls disappearance a ‘mystery’
Interim Chief of North Topsail Police Department Andrew Page told Port City Daily the victim was identified by his clothes and physical description. Page Jr.’s body has been transported to the Onslow County Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification.
A GoFundMe was posted on Wednesday, June 3, to aid Paige Jr.’s family in traveling from out of state as well as “hired rescue services.” The page has not been updated since the body of Paige Jr. was located.
The fundraiser says Page Jr., his family and his friends were at the beach celebrating the opening of his business. There were no plans to enter the water and they were not dressed in swimwear. However, after his stepdaughter’s sand toy drifted into the water causing her to go after it, Page Jr. “immediately ran into the ocean to save her.”
Responding to the initial incident on June 1, North Topsail Beach Fire and Police were dispatched around 2:30 p.m. and arrived at Beach Access 3 (4000 River Road Extension), where the incident occurred, 6 minutes later. The search for Paige Jr. went until 7 p.m. and included the North Topsail Beach Fire Department, North Topsail Beach Police Department, Turkey Creek Fire Department, Camp Lejeune Fire Department and Onslow County Emergency Services. Due to weather concerns, the search had to stop but resumed the next morning.
By Tuesday rescue efforts had shifted to a recovery mission before being suspended at 6 p.m., five days after Page Jr. went missing. The decision to stop the search was made by officials who said all resources had been exhausted, including jet skis, boats, sonar, swimmers and drones.
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