The Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call yesterday shortly after five p.m. originally in reference to a missing juvenile. The call was then changed to that of a swimmer in distress when those looking for the missing juvenile were told she had been seen swimming in Gulf waters behind the Laguna Christian Retreat at 22107 Front Beach Road. Deputies arrived to find that the missing juvenile had been found unresponsive in the water and brought to shore with the help of several bystanders and a paddleboard. Deputies took over resuscitation efforts. EMS arrived and transported the juvenile to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The identity of the drowning victim is Jade McAllister, a thirteen year old girl visiting Panama City Beach with a group from her church in Morganton, Georgia. The body was turned over to the Medical Examiner for autopsy.
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The Bay County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a missing juvenile from the Laguna Beach Retreat in the 22000 block of Front Beach Road at about 5:12 p.m. Deputies arrived at 5:16 p.m. to discover the missing juvenile had been found unresponsive in the waters behind the Retreat. CPR is currently being performed on the 12 year old girl. EMS is transporting her to a local hospital.
Additional details will be released as they become available.