Update: Ocean swimmer who drowned in Myrtle Beach identified by coroner
A swimmer drowned in the ocean early Sunday morning in Myrtle Beach, police reported.
Michael Cherry, 39, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, was seen going in and out of the ocean near Sixth Avenue North before later being found unresponsive near Eighth Avenue North, according to an email sent Wednesday by Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.
He was pulled from the water and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 3:50 a.m., Willard wrote.
At about 2:14 a.m., police were flagged down by a person on the beach near the Sixth Avenue North area, who witnessed a swimmer entering and exiting the water and requesting help, according to a Facebook post by the police department..
A minute later, an officer made contact with the swimmer, Cherry, who was on the beach at the time, the post states, and offered the swimmer assistance. The swimmer re-entered the water shortly after, and additional support was requested to help get the swimmer out of the water, according to the post.
At 2:40 a.m., officers lost visual contact with the swimmer while they were still in the water, the post continues.
The swimmer was later found near Eighth Avenue South and taken to the hospital, where the person was pronounced dead.
No further information has been released. The Sun News has requested the incident report related to the drowning.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department is investigating Cherry’s death.
This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 1:33 PM.
