Body found at Dockweiler Beach believed to be missing 25-year-old swimmer

PLAYA DEL REY (CNS / FOX 11) - A body that washed ashore Wednesday at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey is believed to be that of a 25-year-old swimmer who went missing last week off Manhattan Beach, authorities said.

The body was discovered about 12:35 p.m. at Vista del Mar and Grand Avenue.

"We do believe it to be the swimmer that we were looking for back on the 19th. However, the identity of this individual is going to be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office,'' sheriff's Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez said.

Derek Jeffries of Hawthorne went missing around 5 p.m. April 19 after the former U.S. Army soldier swam into the surf off Manhattan Beach amid heavy rip currents.

Friends at the scene said they did not hear Jeffries call out or and were unaware he might have been struggling in the water.

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