Tourists find body on Galveston beach

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- Tourists were walking along the beach Sunday when they discovered the body of a Houston woman who drowned in Galveston Bay, officials said.

According to Galveston Beach Patrol, 49-year-old Jutina Silvey went missing early Sunday after a night of drinking at an island bar.

Investigators said Silvey, her niece and some friends decided to cross the street and go swimming after the bar closed. Everyone returned to the shore except Silbey. That's when her niece called 911.

Crews, including the U.S. Coast Guard, began searching for the woman around 3:30am.

The tourists found her body on a rock groin near 37th Street around 11am.

Officers are calling the death an accidental drowning. They believe Silvey became caught in the rip current and was pulled toward the rocks.

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