Rescue crews suspend search for man missing off Palm Beach Shores

PALM BEACH SHORES, Fla. - Authorities suspended Sunday morning the search for a man who went under rough seas off Palm Beach Shores Saturday morning trying to save two young girls.

Edward “Butch” Garlinghouse Jr., 44, jumped into the ocean to rescue two 11-year-old girls who had been swept out to sea by the rip current, said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

He did not resurface.

Coast Guard, Palm Beach Shores and Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office rescue crews responded to calls of a missing swimmer around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The search by water and air, including six recovery dives, ended at sunset with no success, Barbera said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and PBSO Marine Unit had resumed the search for Garlinghouse Jr. at sunrise. However, by 11 a.m. authorities decided to call off the search.

At the time the search was suspended, Garlinghouse Jr. had not been located.