NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Anna Maria Island, FL, September 5, 2025: Authorities have confirmed that the body recovered offshore Monday belongs to 20-year-old Abhigyan Patel, an aviation student from Lakeland, Florida, who went missing while swimming at Bean Point Beach.
Patel disappeared around 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 31, after he was seen swimming with a friend in an olive green shirt. While the other swimmer was rescued, Patel was swept away in the strong currents. A massive search operation was immediately launched, covering nearly 172 square miles and involving multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Longboat Key Police, Holmes Beach Police, and West Manatee Fire & Rescue.
The following morning, at about 11:30 a.m., a body was spotted roughly a half-mile to a mile west of Anna Maria Island by Longboat Key Police units. On Tuesday, September 2, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the remains as those of Patel. Officials delayed releasing his name until his father, who was traveling internationally, had been notified.
Patel was among five students from a Lakeland aviation school who had traveled to Anna Maria Island for a beach outing. The incident has cast a pall over both the student community and the local area, which has seen similar water safety tragedies in past summers.
