A former Georgia police officer drowned saving a family of five from a deadly rip current off South Carolina’s Pawleys Island, triggering calls for urgent beach safety reforms.
At a Glance
- Anderson “Chase” Childers, 38, died July 13, 2025, rescuing five swimmers caught in a rip current.
- Childers was vacationing with his wife and three children when the incident occurred.
- His body was recovered 90 minutes later by the U.S. Coast Guard.
- Childers was a former Cobb County officer and minor league player for the Baltimore Orioles.
- Pawleys Island officials plan new safety measures following multiple recent drownings.
A Final Act of Valor
Chase Childers, a revered former Cobb County police officer and minor league baseball player, leapt into action when he spotted swimmers in distress during a family vacation. Alongside another good Samaritan, Childers successfully guided the struggling swimmers—an entire family of five—to safety. Yet, as the others reached shore, Childers was overtaken by the same brutal rip current.
His wife and three children witnessed his final, selfless act. The Coast Guard recovered his body roughly 90 minutes later. Friends, family, and law enforcement colleagues described Childers as a lifelong protector, both on duty and off.
Watch a report: Former police officer drowns while saving 5 in rip current
Community Response and Safety Overhaul
Pawleys Island officials, facing the fifth drowning in the area since June 2023, pledged to increase beach safety with better signage, life-saving equipment, and public education on rip current dangers. Childers’ death has galvanized conversations around the necessity of lifeguards on popular yet unmonitored stretches of beach.
A GoFundMe set up for his wife, Nataley, and their three children surpassed $100,000, reflecting a wave of national support and mourning. Tributes continue to pour in from former teammates, police departments, and community leaders who hailed Childers as a hero who lived—and died—for others.
Rip Current Awareness: A Life-Saving Priority
Childers’ death underscores the lethal unpredictability of rip currents, which can trap even the strongest swimmers. Safety experts advise that swimmers caught in rip currents should stay calm, float to conserve energy, and swim parallel to the shoreline rather than against the current.
The tragedy of Chase Childers is a painful reminder that heroism carries risks—but also a mandate: communities must act to ensure beaches are as safe as possible, so future rescues don’t end in loss.
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Author: Editor
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