Police say head found on Key Biscayne belonged to teen who went missing off Miami Beach
The mystery of the human head found on a Key Biscayne beach has been solved. It belonged to a teen who went missing after getting caught in a rip current off Miami Beach last Saturday, police said Friday.
Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr., 19, disappeared into the ocean after going for a swim with his younger sister off South Pointe Beach around 6 p.m. last Saturday.
READ MORE: ‘I’ll never stop missing you.’ Dozens mourn teen who died swimming off Miami Beach
On Tuesday, a beach maintenance worker found a human head on the shore in front of the Oceansound Key Colony II condominium at 251 Crandon Blvd.
Friday afternoon, both Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County police confirmed that the two cases were related. The remains found on Key Biscayne are those of Castaneda.
“The Miami Beach Police Department extends prayers and condolences to the family,” Cmdr. Shantell Mitchell, a Miami Beach Police Department spokeswoman, said. “Our victim advocates will continue to provide support to the family during this time.”
His younger sister was rescued by beach-goers.
Mitchell said Castaneda’s identity was confirmed by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday afternoon. Until Friday, Miami Beach police were investigating the disappearance of Victor Castaneda as a missing-persons case.
“This is an open investigation in collaboration with Miami Dade Police Department, and no further information will be provided at this time,” Mitchell said.
Investigators continue to work on uncovering what happened to Victor, hoping to bring answers and closure to his family, Officer Christopher Bess, a Miami Beach Police Department spokesman told the Herald on Saturday.
What is known at this point in the investigation is that no foul play is suspected, said Bess.
In a Facebook post, Jessica Castaneda announced that a memorial service for her younger brother will be at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the sands of South Pointe Beach at the tip of Miami Beach, marking one week since his disappearance.
“The pain I’m left with is insurmountable,” she wrote this week. “My heart is completely and irreparably shattered. Your absence will never be accepted. No words could ever describe how much I love you, Victor.”
He graduated from Somerset Academy Charter High School in Princeton in south Miami-Dade.
In a separate Instagram tribute, Victor’s other older sister, Chloe, remembered him as “the best part of this family.”
“A hero — life has a way of taking the best people,” she wrote. “There was a time when he was all that kept this family going. Pure, genuine, so full of life.”
A GoFundMe page has been started to help the family. It has raised more than $25,000 of its $50,000 goal.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 5:18 PM.
