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    • The human head found on the beach in Florida belonged to the missing 19-year-old
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    The human head found on the beach in Florida belonged to the missing 19-year-old

    Online Niel Posted on

    A human head that washed ashore earlier this month on a beach in Key Biscayne, Florida, has been identified as belonging to a 19-year-old man who officials and family said went missing in the ocean earlier this month.

    The victim’s family has identified him as Victor E. Castaneda Jr., who disappeared into the water while swimming near South Pointe Beach, south of Miami Beach, on Nov. 9.

    Before he disappeared, he and his sister Hailey Clements, 17, struggled in the water, Castaneda called for help, Miami Herald he reported, and bystanders were able to save his sister but were unable to save his brother.

    Miami Beach Police Department spokesman Officer Christopher Bess said authorities continued to investigate what happened to Castaneda in the water.

    During a memorial service held a week after she disappeared, Clements addressed a crowd gathered to mourn on the beach in South Pointe.

    “Victor was a loving guy, a sweet guy,” Clements said. “Since I was little, Victor always told me that he would protect me and he died protecting me. He is everything to me, he is my other half. I will never stop missing you.”

    USA Today contacted Miami Beach police, the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office and the victim’s family.

    “I Will Miss You Every Second”

    Another of the victim’s sisters, Jessica Castaneda, posted a tribute to her brother on social networks.

    “My heart is completely and irreparably broken. Your absence will never be accepted,” she posted on Facebook last week. “I will miss you every second of every minute of every day for the rest of my life.

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    “Victor was a hero in every way”

    A online fundraising created to help the family with funeral expenses, has raised more than $30,000 since Monday.

    “He died a hero, using all his strength to save his sister from drowning,” wrote the creator of the fundraiser. “Even before this, Victor was a hero in every way. He sacrificed his dreams of joining the military, all to provide a home for his family. Serving others has always been his true calling.”

    Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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