South Carolina Teen, 19, Goes Missing After Boat Crash: 'We Are Praying That We Find Her Alive'

A 19-year-old woman from South Carolina has been missing since 2 a.m. on Sunday after a boat she was on crashed into a bridge in Beaufort County, numerous outlets report.

Mallory Beach, the youngest of three sisters, according to the Island Packet, is a former student at the University of South Carolina. As of Sunday, 20 of her closest friends and family have been awaiting updates on her whereabouts.

According to Capt. Robert Mcullough, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources stopped the search when it became dark, but he said that they would start again Monday morning at 8 a.m., the outlet reports.

DNR is the lead investigating agency in the crash and did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Their spokesman, David Lucas, told Island Packet that it’s “an all-hands-on-deck situation.”

“She’s always happy. Everybody loves her, loves being around her,” her sister Savannah Tuten told the newspaper. “We are still hoping and praying that we find her alive.”

Mallory works at Retail Therapy in Beaufort and was on the boat with five other people who were also injured in the accident.

Her boyfriend, Anthony Cook, who was on board told Island Packet that he tried to save her after the crash but the conditions became too dangerous.

“I knew if I didn’t turn back then, I wouldn’t make it,” he said on Monday, adding that the water was cold and there was a swift current.

He told the outlet that the group was on their way back from an oyster roast earlier that evening.

The search will become a recovery as time goes on, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Capt. Robert McCullough said.

“The problem is we don’t have an exact location — it doesn’t look like a big area until you try to start searching the bottom, and it’s a huge area,” he said. “The other problem is with the fast-moving water, depending on the person, you could get pulled out a long way if you’re struggling or fighting or have a life jacket on.”

Source: Read Full Article