Senah Park was last seen with a group of friends on Panther State Beach on Sunday evening when an incoming tide knocked them over, authorities said.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. - The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 24-year-old woman who was swept out to sea near Panther State Beach in Santa Cruz County earlier in the week.
Woman likely taken by wave
The Coast Guard said Tuesday that it halted its search on Monday afternoon after learning from the Santa Cruz Fire Department on Sunday evening that a person – later identified as Senah Park – was seen in the water near Panther State Beach.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said Park was last seen with a group of friends on the beach that evening when an incoming tide knocked them over.
Authorities say that is when she was likely swept out to sea.
Search efforts:
The Coast Guard said search crews combed over roughly 95 square miles over eight hours the night Park went missing, though authorities had not uncovered anything significant as of Tuesday.
"Suspending a search is a difficult decision," said Lt. Max Holloway of the U.S. Coast Guard. "Given the extensive search effort of the surrounding area and environmental conditions, we have suspended active search efforts pending further developments. We worked closely with our partner agencies and exhausted all available resources in our attempt to locate Ms. Park. Our deepest condolences are with her family and loved ones."
The Source: Information for this article came from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.