“Victor always told me he would protect me”: Dismembered human head found on Florida beach belonged to a heroic teenager who drowned days earlier

A dismembered human head discovered by a beach maintenance worker in South Florida last week has been identified. Florida authorities say it belonged to a 19-year-old man who disappeared in the water a few days earlier while attempting to save his drowning sister.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, Florida police say Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr. vanished while swimming with his sister, not far from where the severed head was recovered. Castaneda Jr.’s sister, 17-year-old Hailey Clements, reportedly struggled in the water, and Casteneda Jr. tried to assist her before he disappeared. Clements was rescued from the water by other beachgoers. Castenada Jr., who witnesses said was also distressed, never reappeared from the water after an hourslong search and may have been pulled out to sea in a current, the Miami Herald reported.

Investigators say no foul play is suspected in the young man’s death, but it’s still unclear what happened to his body in the ocean. Florida authorities say his death will be investigated.

“The Miami Beach Police Department extends prayers and condolences to the family,” Commander Shantell Mitchell told the Herald. “Our victim advocates will continue to provide support to the family during this time.”

“Victor always told me he would protect me”

At Castaneda’s memorial service, his sister, Clements, whom he tried to save while swimming, told those gathered, “Victor was a loving guy, a sweet guy. Ever since I was little, Victor always told me he would protect me and he died protecting me. He’s my everything, he’s my other half. I’ll never stop missing you.”

Castaneda was reportedly one of eight children, and another of Castaneda Jr.’s other sisters, Jessica Castaneda, wrote in a Facebook tribute: “My heart is completely and irreparably shattered. Your absence will never be accepted. I will miss you every second of every minute of every single day for the rest of my life.”

Before Castaneda Jr. was identified, authorities said it was unclear how the apparent victim had been killed, if a marine animal could be responsible for the victim’s severed head, or if it could have been caused in a boating accident.

At that time, a South Florida tourist told CBS News, “I have never heard of anything like this happening before on this kind of beach. I guess I am curious if they have any information on where it came from, if anything else has been found, if it happened here on the island or washed up on the shore. I guess I assume it might have happened someplace else and washed up here but I do worry because of this.”

According to the Associated Press, Castaneda Jr.’s family and residents gathered on the beach where his remains were found to pay tribute, and Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue boats fired their water cannons to honor his sacrifice. At that time, another one of Castaneda Jr.’s sisters, Chloe, told the mourners, “He would have loved to see how many people have come and come together and love him wholeheartedly.”

According to Florida news outlet WVSN, his sister Chloe said before her brother was identified, “He was a great kid; he was very pure. I was very proud of him, and he was a pure bundle of joy. He was a goofball. He was so selfless.”

And referring to his then-missing nephew, Castaneda Jr.’s uncle, William Espinosa, added, “It’s crushing. He’s only 19 years old, you know what I mean? Nobody deserves this.”