CLEARWATER, Fla. – A passerby on Clearwater Beach made a grim discovery early Tuesday morning, bringing a tragic close to a week-long search for a missing teen. At around 7:40 a.m., the citizen spotted a body on the sand and alerted authorities. Police soon confirmed it was 18-year-old Elias Guillermo Lara Vargas, the kayaker who went missing earlier this month.
The search for Elias began on January 18, when a fun day on the water took a dangerous turn. Elias and a friend, 19-year-old Savannah Ozer, were kayaking off Honeymoon Island in Dunedin. According to deputies, the pair drifted too far from the shore and were caught in rough waves that capsized their boats.
Rescue teams were able to save Savannah that evening. She was taken to a hospital to get checked out and was later released. However, Elias disappeared into the water, sparking a massive search operation. Crews later found both kayaks empty near Caladesi Island, just south of where they had started, but there was no sign of the teen.
For over a week, multiple agencies tried to find him. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office worked alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, Dunedin Fire Rescue, Clearwater Police, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. While the Coast Guard had to suspend their primary search the day after the accident, local deputies kept looking.
Investigators say there are no signs of foul play, and the incident appears to be a heartbreaking accident. Elias’s family has been notified of the discovery. The investigation remains open.
ORIGINAL REPORT: As darkness settled over the Gulf on Monday evening, rescue crews made the difficult decision to suspend the primary search for 18-year-old Elias Guillermo Lara Vargas, who vanished during a kayaking trip the previous night.
The search for Vargas began Sunday evening under frantic circumstances. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Vargas was part of a group of three kayaking off the coast of Honeymoon Island. At approximately 6:24 p.m. on January 18, 2026, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received a distress call.
Investigators say the outing turned dangerous when Vargas and another kayaker, 19-year-old Savannah Ozer, drifted too far from shore. Rough waves eventually capsized their vessels, throwing both teenagers into the water.
Rescuers managed to locate Ozer, who was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and has since been released. However, Vargas could not be found.
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A massive multi-agency response was launched immediately, involving Pinellas County Deputies, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Dunedin Fire Rescue, Clearwater Police, and the FWC. Search teams scoured the waters between Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island throughout Sunday night and all day Monday.
While searchers recovered both kayaks near Caladesi Island—indicating a southward drift from the initial site—there has been no sign of Vargas.
At 6:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19, the Coast Guard suspended its primary search efforts. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that while federal efforts have paused, local deputies are scheduled to resume recovery efforts at daybreak tomorrow.
Vargas remains missing as the investigation continues.
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