Police have issued an update after a severed head was discovered washed up on a beach in Florida.
The severed head discovered on a South Florida beach has now been identified as 19-year-old Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr.
Authorities confirmed the grim discovery nearly a week after his disappearance, marking a tragic conclusion to the search for the young man.
On November 12, a beach worker in Key Biscayne stumbled upon a severed head that had washed ashore.
The Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed the discovery, and subsequent forensic examinations determined on November 15 that the remains belonged to Victor, as reported by CBS News, NBC News, and the Miami Herald.
Detective Andre Martin of the Miami-Dade Police Department previously noted that the case was not being investigated as a homicide, emphasizing that the circumstances surrounding Castaneda’s death remain uncertain.
“At this point, we’re not discounting any possibility. This could be an accident or a missing person case—it’s too early to determine the specifics,” Martin told People.
On Saturday, November 9, Castaneda and his sister Jessica were swimming at South Point Beach in Miami when they were caught in a powerful rip current.
Although good Samaritans managed to save Jessica, they were unable to locate Victor, who disappeared beneath the waves.
Despite extensive searches by local authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard, no trace of him was found in the days that followed.
Jessica Castaneda, Victor’s sister, described the harrowing moment when her brother saved her life.
“Before he was submerged, he threw my sister because he told her they were gonna die,” she recounted to WTVJ. “That was the last she saw of him.”
Jessica called Victor a hero, saying he sacrificed himself to save her.
The family has been left heartbroken by the loss. Jessica wrote a tribute to her brother on Facebook on November 12, describing her grief as ‘insurmountable.’
“My heart is completely and irreparably shattered. Your absence will never be accepted. No words could ever describe how much I love you, Victor. To the top of the highest mountain and to depths deeper than the Titanic, I love you, little brother. I love you so much.”
Victor, who was one of eight siblings, was remembered fondly by his family.
At a memorial service held at South Point Beach on Saturday, family members and friends wore shirts that read ‘Forever 19’ and shared stories of his kind and selfless nature.
Two Miami-Dade Fire Rescue boats performed a water cannon salute in his honor.
Chloe, another of Victor’s sisters, said: “He would have loved to see how many people have come together to love him wholeheartedly.”
Jessica added: “My brother was an amazing, amazing person. To know him was to love him. He couldn’t have been more perfect.”
The Miami Beach Police Department expressed their condolences in a statement through Commander Shantell Mitchell.
“The Miami Beach Police Department extends prayers and condolences to the family,” Mitchell said, adding that the department’s victim advocates are continuing to support the family.
Police have further announced that they are still investigating the incident, seeking to clarify the circumstances that led to Victor’s tragic death.
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner has yet to announce a cause or manner of death, but police indicated that foul play is not suspected.
