Apollo Beach 'hero' who jumped in water to save father, son still missing
APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - The search for a man being hailed hero is still underway at Apollo Beach as of Saturday night after Sheriff Chad Chronister said the man jumped in the water to try and save a father and son who were swept away by the current. Bodies of the father and son were recovered Friday night, but he is still missing.
After 24 hours there was still no sign of 27-year-old Kristoff Murray.
"I was telling her that he's missing in the water and she was saying mommy it is just us two and daddy's in the water," Murray's wife Tjonique Gray said.
Gray who didn't want to show her face is talking about how she broke the news to their 4-year-old daughter.
"She said, 'Mommy, it's a dream and I should go to sleep,'" Gray said.
Murray's family is praying for a miracle after the sheriff said the 27-year-old jumped in to try and save a father and young son swept away by the current at the Apollo Beach Preserve. Multiple witnesses called 911 shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday.
Several agencies including the Coast Guard, Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue jumped into action searching both the air and the water. Around 9 p.m., a boater spotted the father's body. The child was found a few minutes later and rushed to the hospital, but didn't survive.
The search continued on Saturday with the Murray family standing by at Apollo Beach hoping for any news.
Meanwhile, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is reminding the community that swimming is prohibited at the Apollo Beach Preserve where currents are known to be dangerous.
"I hope he's somewhere out there. He's a pretty good swimmer. We're pretty hopeful. His mom is pretty hopeful. We're just hoping for the best," Gray said.
As of Saturday night, Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has scaled back its search efforts. However, their Marine Unit and Aviation Unit will continue to do spot checks. Marine Units deputies will also continue to patrol the area as they regularly do.
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