PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC (WBTW) — A Murrells Inlet teenager who drowned over the weekend was remembered Sunday as an “invaluable” part of his community at Waccamaw High School.
Tyrese Haynes, 17, played basketball at Georgetown County School, according to a Facebook post from the school’s sports fan club.
“Our Warrior family is grieving. Tyrese was an invaluable member of our team, our school and our community. Where Tyrese stood will forever be a void. We send all of our prayers to Tyrese’s family and friends,” the post said.
Haynes’ body was found Saturday night near Huntington Beach State Park, a few miles from where he was last seen swimming near South Dunes Drive the night before.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office led the two-day, multi-agency search, which also included marine and air units from Midway Fire Rescue, Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Rescue, the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard.
After rough weather conditions forced a pause in the search on Friday evening, teams combed the area around Huntington Beach State Park for five hours on Saturday.
“Officers saw what appeared to be a body in the surf and a Georgetown County Sheriff’s drone unit returned to the area and confirmed the sighting,” the agency said in a statement. “All-terrain vehicle units conducted the recovery.”
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit surveyed the waters Friday and Saturday and deployed two Midway Fire Rescue jet skis Saturday morning.
Officers also began a search along the coast using an emergency vehicle until bad weather arrived.
The SC Department of Natural Resources provided a boat to search for aquatic resources, while the Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire Department used a wide-angle sonar boat. U.S. Coast Guard members flew a helicopter over the area.
A Georgetown County crisis response team, comprised of grief counselors and area clergy, will be at Waccamaw High School on Monday offering support to students, staff and faculty.
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Adam Benson joined News13’s digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stints at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and graduate of the University of Utah. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12You can find more of his work here.
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