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Boy, 16, found dead in water near Skyway fishing pier

Posted at 10:11 AM, Jun 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-22 17:16:36-04

St. Petersburg police were actively searching for a missing 16-year-old boy near the Sunshine Skyway bridge Wednesday morning.

A fisherman found his body just after 1 p.m. near Skyway Pier. Police confirmed the identity shortly thereafter.

Police say Brandon Sun went to a beach on the north side of the bridge with a group of friends Monday night. Police say the kids were drinking and believe Brandon had taken LSD. Those friends told police Brandon wandered off around 3 a.m. Tuesday.

His friends didn't notify his mother he was missing until about 15 hours later.

His mother reached out to police and crews began actively searching the area Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

"Clearly we knew this was a difficult case because he had been missing for so long." said Yolanda Fernandez, St. Petersburg Police spokeswoman. "Many times teenagers don't think about the consequences of their actions, but in this case, it ended very sadly for this young man and for his family."