The parents of an American male, 19-year-old Shane Ruiz, has sent out an appeal to local fishermen to look for the lost young man or any unidentified body in the waters.
On March 19 th Ruiz, disappeared when caught in an undertow on the shores of the beach called "Playa Grande" situated in the municipality of Rio San Juan on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic .
Fishermen from the TCI and Nassau , Bahamas are asked to keep on the look out for the male who is 5 feet 9 inches, weighing 150 lbs, has brown hair and blue eyes.
Ruiz was on a mission trip with Freed-Hardeman University in the Dominican Republic and got sucked away by an undertow while swimming. He's officially reported missing for the time being. Two other students were with him, according to reports.
One report said that on their last day of their mission trip, “they stopped to play in the ocean. The ocean was very rough and Shane disappeared while they were in the ocean.”
According to missionary Cory Lamb, several students were standing in no more than three feet of water, when violent waves knocked Shane down and the undertow dragged him out to sea. He was beyond their range and could not be saved. Lamb, other group members and several Dominicans tried to save him for nearly three hours. Because of the violence of the ocean, swimmers or boats were unable to reach Ruiz.
Ruiz was working in the Dominican Republic with the Sigma Rho social club. The group spent spring break teaching children through a Vacation Bible School program and traditionally spent the afternoon of their last day at the beach after working at a children's' home in Bobida.
