Beachgoers find 78-year-old woman ‘not breathing and without a pulse’ off NC coast
Police in North Carolina are investigating the death of a 78-year-old woman found unresponsive in the ocean.
Two people called 911 around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to report finding the woman, identified as Sally Mertens, near Access 9 on Wrightsville Beach, according to the Wrightsville Beach Police Department.
She had been pulled from the surf and was “unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse,” police said.
Resuscitation efforts “were unsuccessful,” according to police.
The case is under investigation, the police department said, and no other information was released Wednesday.
“Our sincere condolences go out to the family as they deal with this tragic event,” police wrote. “We would like to thank all those that helped with this incident.”
Wrightsville Beach is in southeastern North Carolina, near Wilmington.
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Beachgoers find 78-year-old woman ‘not breathing and without a pulse’ off NC coast."
