The body of a New Hampshire boy who was swept out to sea last week off North Carolina’s Outer Banks has been recovered.
The 4-year-old was walking along the beach in Kitty Hawk with his mother when a huge wave engulfed the two and took the boy out to sea.
A Coast Guard search was launched and later suspended, after finding nothing other than the boy’s hat.
The boy’s remains were later discovered on another North Carolina beach.
Kitty Hawk Police Chief Joel Johnson reported the discovery on the department’s Facebook page.
“At 7:40 am the body of Wesley Belisle was located by the Currituck County Sheriff's Office on Carova Beach in Currituck County,” the post said. “Wesley's family has been notified and are making arrangements for him to be transported back to New Hampshire. We hope that the outpouring of compassion and offers of support, thoughts and prayers to the Belisle family from people all over the world can bring them some amount of solace in this time of tremendous grief.”
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported the family was from Manchester, and visiting the area on vacation.
Approximately 75 mourners gathered Sunday at a memorial service for Wesley in Kitty Hawk, which was viewed by the family via Facebook Live, according to the Outer Banks Voice.
A statement from the family was read at the service.
“We were very excited for our trip to Kitty Hawk,” the statement said. “Wesley was excited to visit the state of North Carolina. We spent some of our days on the beach: collecting shells, digging holes in the sand, building sandcastles, and walking on the beach as a family with our dog.”