Body recovered in search for missing 13-year-old twins

Teenage brothers disappeared while in water at beach in Galveston

A body has been recovered in the search for 13-year-old twin brothers who went missing while swimming off the coast of Texas, say authorities.

The body was found in Galveston in the early hours of Tuesday morning and matches the description and clothing worn by one of the missing youngsters, reported FOX26 Houston.

A group of passersby spotted the body and pulled it back to shore then called emergency services, according to Galveston Island Beach Patrol.

(FOX 26 Houston)

The boys, named as Josue and Jefferson Perez, disappeared on Sunday in the water near the area’s Pleasure Pier. It is unclear which of the boys was found.

The pair, who do not know how to swim, had been in the water up to their chests or waists when they were last seen, reports KHOU-TV.

Officials say that no one actually saw them disappear.

“So essentially what happened is they were out in the water, the parents briefly lost sight of them, and they looked back up into that area, and they did not see them any longer,” Lt Austin Kirwin of Galveston Beach Patrol told FOX 26.

The search for the other missing teen is continuing. Multiple agencies including the Galveston County Community Emergency Response Team, Beach Patrol, and the US Coast Guard have been involved in the search efforts.

“It is some closure. We are keeping close ties and talking to the family, so we’re talking to them direct,” Mr Kirwin said.

“It does make us more hopeful, but everything out in this water is very unpredictable. We did find one. That’s great news, finding another one doesn’t mean it’s going to happen now or tomorrow.”