PASS-A-GRILLE BEACH, Fla. — A local family shared their story after their father and sister died after getting caught in a rip current in Pinellas County.
Michael Stephens, 42, and his 10-year-old daughter, Isabella, got to the beach before sunset on April 23. The two got stuck in a rip current and the U.S. Coast Guard discovered them about a half mile offshore. The two were pronounced deceased at a local hospital.
Pinellas County
Father, daughter dead after drowning in Pass-a-Grille, authorities say
Destiny Stephens and Brooke Stephens said their sister, Isabella, always went by the name "Bella." She loved McDonald's and riding her bicycle. She enjoyed the beach and loved building sand castles. Destiny was not at the beach when the incident happened but recalls the phone call she received that evening.
"I just started to freak out. I couldn’t really breathe. It was the worst phone call you can imagine getting and it was coming true," said Destiny Stephens.
Destiny said she arrived at the hospital and received the horrible news.
"It was only about 10 minutes after I got there that the doctor had come in and announced their deaths. It was really hard for all of us. There was a lot of screaming, crying, hugging," she said.
Jessie Johnson was with the family at the beach. He was also caught in the rip current with his girlfriend, Brittany Stephens.
"I did all that I could in my power to get Brittany to safety, and by the time I got her to safety, I went back out for Michael and Isabella and it was too late for me," he said.
The family is raising money for funeral expenses on a GoFundMe page.
"Our Aunt Lindsey, she made a GoFundMe page on behalf of the family as a way to help support us because it has definitely been a lot for us as a family. We've all been trying to share it as much as we can," said Destiny.
St. Pete Beach shares information on rip currents on its website. The website offers the following safety tip, "Don’t panic. Be calm and begin to swim parallel to the shoreline. When out of the current, swim to the shore. If you can’t swim out of the current, float or tread water. Face the shore, wave your hands, and yell for help if it is impossible for you to reach the shore."
The family is sharing their tragic story, hoping it helps save someone else.
"Knowing that I didn't know what a rip current was, I know it's going to save other lives. People are going to research and they're going to be more informed," said Destiny.
