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Man Remains Unidentified 20 Years After Drowning in Rough Surf Caused by Hurricane Rita
Investigators believe Gulf Shores John Doe, or Dante Doe, was in the US illegally to do post-hurricane cleanup work.
On September 24, 2005, the Gulf Shores Police Department in Alabama received a call about a drowning at Gulf Shores Public Beach. A man had been swept away by the rough surf caused by Hurricane Rita and died just minutes before first responders arrived. Lieutenant Nate Harris explained,
“They found this individual deceased on the beach with nobody around him. Some witnesses had said that he was with three or four other individuals but they couldn’t be found.”
One of these individuals reportedly tried to save the drowning man before fleeing with the others. Authorities believe the group ran away out of fear, likely because they were in the country illegally.
The victim was not carrying identification, and there were no matches when his fingerprints were run through the FBI and the US Department of Immigration and Naturalization databases.
Lt. Harris suspects that these men were in the area doing post-hurricane cleanup work.
John Doe was Latino and estimated to be between 20 and 29 years old. He was approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed between 125…
