5-year-old Poteet boy identified after drowning at Port Aransas beach

PORT ARANSAS, Texas — A trip to the coast turned tragic for one San Antonio-area family vacationing in Port Aransas last week.

Benny Arredondo, 5, of Poteet, has been identified as the boy who drowned last Wednesday near Beach Marker 46 in Port Aransas.

According to police, the boy’s flotation device had been removed while the family was packing up to leave.

The call came in just after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when family members lost sight of him and reported him missing.

Benny was found a short time later. That’s when a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden began CPR.

Port Aransas police officers also took part in lifesaving measures before he was taken to the hospital, where he died.

The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the death along with investigators from the Port Aransas Police Department.

Officials urge parents to maintain constant, arm’s-length supervision of young children, especially around water.