Beachgoers find body of tourist in ocean off North Carolina island, cops say

An Ohio man visiting North Carolina’s coast with his family died in the Atlantic Ocean over Labor Day weekend, according to police.

He has been identified as 37-year-old Brannon Rife of Reynoldsburg, Oak Island police said in a news release.

Investigators say he vanished just after 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, while swimming with his family off S.E. 75th Street. Oak Island is about a 160-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

Two “minutes after calling 9-1-1, bystanders were able to locate Mr. Rife, who was unresponsive, and bring him to shore,” police said.

“They began to perform CPR as Fire Department crews arrived. Additional life-saving measures were taken before Mr. Rife was transported by EMS to Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.”

Rife’s death has been ruled an accidental drowning. However, an investigation into how it happened is underway, police said.

“There were no reported signs of distress, and no adverse water conditions were apparent at the time; surf conditions were at green flag,” police said.

“It is unknown at this time if there were any preexisting or sudden medical conditions which may have been a contributing factor.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 7:44 AM with the headline "Beachgoers find body of tourist in ocean off North Carolina island, cops say."