Debbie Szymanski, 60, was found unresponsive in the water off Panama City Beach on Sunday, June 23.
A Missouri tourist was found unresponsive in the waters off a Florida beach and pronounced dead at the hospital, becoming the fifth tourist to die within four days.
Debbie Szymanski, 60, was swimming in the waters around 11:30 a.m. on June 23, when family members realized she was unresponsive and began “to bring her to shore,” the Bay County Sheriff’s Office’s wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“Szymanski was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased,” police added.
Her official cause of death has not yet been released.
Earlier that day, authorities warned visitors on Facebook to “stay out of the water.” They also confirmed that the water conditions were “too dangerous right now to swim” and explained that “the water can appear calm but underneath currents are treacherous.”
Her death came two days after three men from Alabama were rescued from the water on June 21, but died at the hospital, per the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
“The three [men] arrived with their group of friends in Bay County yesterday just before 8 p.m.” and ended up getting caught in a rip current shortly after entering the water, police said.
“I have such a heavy heart this morning about the loss of three young visitors to our community,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford added in a statement. “[I’m] praying for their family and ask that you do the same. It is such a tragedy.”
The three men were identified by police as Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, and Jemonda Ray and Marius Richardson, both 24, according to AL.com, CNN and Alabama TV station WALA.
According to verified GoFundMe accounts from their relatives, the three men, all fathers, were visiting the area from Alabama.
On June 23, a teenager from Oklahoma, identified as Ryker Milton, also died after getting caught in a rip current, per ABC affiliate KOCO-TV and Fox affiliate KOKI-TV.
Authorities issued another warning on June 25, telling swimmers to be careful amid the strong currents.
