Body of Rehoboth Beach swimmer washes ashore one day after he went missing

After a massive search of Rehoboth Beach failed to find any sign of missing swimmer Richard A Boateng, his body washed ashore on Monday morning

The body of a swimmer who went missing after getting into trouble in treacherous conditions at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has washed ashore, according to police.

Richard A Boateng, 31, from Savage, Maryland, disappeared while swimming in the ocean near Rehoboth Ave at around 5.45pm on Sunday 3 September.

After receiving multiple 911 calls, authorities mounted a vast multiagency search for Boateng.

The operation included Rehoboth Beach Patrol lifeguards, and officials from the United States Coast Guard, the Delaware State Police Aviation Unit, and the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Just before 6am on Monday, Boateng’s body was spotted in the surf about a mile north at North Shores Beach, the Rehoboth Police Department said in an update.

Paramedics responded and pronounced the swimmer dead at the scene.

“No foul play is suspected,” the department said.

Boateng got into trouble in the surf off Rehoboth Beach just 22 minutes after lifeguards had gone off duty on Sunday, according to WGMD.

Officials had earlier warned of extremely treacherous conditions in the water along the mid-Atlantic from Tropical Storm Idalia.

A witness who saw Boateng struggling in the water told WGMD they thought he was waving to somebody.

“Probably he was shouting ‘help’ and we suddenly realised, yeah, he needs help. So then I started shouting ‘Help! We need a lifeguard.’ 

“We were shouting, shouting, shouting and finally when I turned to this side. I can’t see him. He just lifted his hand and he drowned,” the witness told WGMD.

The body of Richard A. Boateng, 31, from Savage, Maryland, was found a day after he went missing while swimming (Rehoboth Beach Police Department)

Off-duty lifeguards leaped into action to try to save the drowning man, creating a human chain as they dragged a rope through the water parallel to the beach, the news site reported.

The search continued even after dark fell with Coast Guard vessels and helicopters firing parachute flares into the air.

Boateng had reportedly been visiting Rehoboth Beach with his girlfriend and several friends.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden own a second home in Rehoboth Beach, along with their primary residence in Wilmington.

Mr Biden attended church in the coastal town earlier on Sunday.