Body found at SoCal beach is Las Vegas teen
A body found on a Southern California Beach has been identified as Las Vegas high school senior Anthony Parnell, authorities said Thursday.
Parnell, 18, vanished Feb. 8 while walking with friends on a rocky area near Thousand Steps Beach in South Laguna, Calif. They were struck by a large wave, and Parnell was nowhere to be found when it receded.
Someone who lives at the beach found him Wednesday in the water among rocks,Orange County Lifeguards Chief Jason Young said.
“It’s Ash Wednesday and God has provided,” Jennifer Parnell, the Centennial High School senior’s mother, said. “My boy is coming home.”
The area where Parnell’s body was found is about a half mile south of 1000 Steps Beach, the area he was last seen, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
After Parnell disappeared, multiple agencies led an extensive recovery effort, which included helicopters, boats and crews on foot. Unsafe surf conditions prevented searching in the water. The search was called off four days after Parnell’s disappearance.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl. Contact Ricky Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.
