When rescue crews arrived, the children already were on the beach and Robert Cook, one of two men who had been bringing the children back to shore, was missing, said Jeff Goad, National Park Service Law Enforcement park ranger.
Goad said Cook and his friend were in waist deep water when they and the three children, one believed to be Cook’s, were pulled further out into the ocean by a strong riptide.
The eldest of the children managed to swim back to shore, while Cook’s friend took the second child to safety, Goad said.
It was when Cook was bringing in the third child that he ran into trouble, Goad said. At that time, the friend swam out to meet him, took over in getting the third child back to the shore, then returned to Cook.
The two men at some point became separated, and Cook was found on the sixth leg of the search by personal water craft emergency crews face down about 75 yards from the shoreline.
Rescue teams administered CPR but were not able to revive Cook, Goad said. He said that because Cook had no medical conditions or trauma to the body, the family was told the official death was drowning.
Cook was taken to the Twiford Funeral Home in Manteo, N.C., Goad said.
Goad said Cook was there with his wife and family and staying at a nearby cottage with his friend and his friend’s family for a vacation.
“We’d been having some rough waves, and the previous day, we had the same thing, so this one came in right behind it,” Goad said. “Talking to witnesses, just standing there, they said they felt like they were being pulled out.”
Goad said that both Friday and Saturday, July 25, were red flag days because of water conditions.
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