A teenager died in a July 4th drowning at White Sands Day Beach near Enon and Isabel.
According to the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office, the victim was Dyquell Deandre Gross, age 16. He was at the day beach with his family when the tragedy occurred.
The 911 dispatcher was called shortly before noon on July 4 and the White Sands Day Beach emergency was reported. Deputies were immediately dispatched, but when they arrived at White Sands Day Beach the young man was already apparently deceased. He was officially pronounced dead when he was taken to the Riverside Medical Center emergency room.
A previous drowning occurred at White Sands Day Beach on Memorial Day in 2023. In that tragedy, a 24 year old international visitor to the parish drowned.
People who were present during the July 4 tragedy reported that the ambulance that was responding to the drowning incident got stuck in the deep sand and many beach-goers worked together in an effort to push the ambulance out of the sand.
One witness reported that a frantic search for the victim began when it was realized he was missing underwater. Once the young man was located, he was pulled from the water and bystanders, including a nurse, tried chest compressions in an attempt to revive him.
The witness said, “The people who were there to swim and celebrate the 4th, they did everything they could to try to help him.”
White Sands Day Beach is located between Enon and Isabel off of Highway 1073.
