A four-year-old boy, who is still missing after being carried away out to sea by a rogue in North Carolina this week, has been identified by his first name only, Wesley. The little boy was walking along the beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with his mom, when a Rogue Wave crashed onto the beach and knocked the family off their feet. The powerful undertow of that wave ripped the boy from his mother and carried him out to sea.

The little boy was visiting the outer banks with his parents from Manchester, New Hampshire. It was a warm spring day and although there were waves, walking along the beach would seem safe enough to most folks as long as you are above the water line.

According to the Fox News, the area is prone to these huge waves that build up way out in the ocean and make their way fast and furious toward the beach.

Mom and son swept off their feet

The mother told police she was holding her son's hand and they had been walking along the beach for just a few minutes when a huge wave suddenly crashed up onto the beach, knocking them both off their feet and ripping her son away from her.

The little boy was carried out to deep water on that wave and swept away by the strong ocean current that runs in that area of the Outer Banks. The only sign of the boy was his hat, which was found an hour after he was swept into the ocean.

Only his hat was found

That hat had already been carried two miles by the strong ocean current after only one hour.

According to Channel 7 local news, the mother tried to keep an eye on the boy as the wave carried him away, but she soon lost sight of him. As of Sunday afternoon (April 29), there was no sign of the boy's remains. The official search and rescue event was turned into a search and recovery effort before it was officially suspended by the Coast Guard.

That search and recovery event was suspended about 24 hours after the boy went into the water.

Officially suspending the search wasn't the end of the search efforts. Locals and people from other areas took to the coastline walking and in their own boats in hopes of recovering the child's body. One man even searched from the air in a motorized parasailing craft.

Search suspended

According to local 13 News Now, the Kitty Hawk Police Department, Fire Department, and the US Coast Guard embarked on a 10-hour search for Wesley after he was swept into the water by that rogue wave. They were joined by locals who voluntarily took part in the search for the boy.

Shrine and memorial service

A makeshift shrine made of seashells and garnished with flowers and stuffed animals has been set up on the beach near where the little boy went into the water. Notes and cards were also left for the boy's family at that shrine, which was set up on the Lillian Street area of the beach. A memorial service is being held Sunday for the boy's family so the community can support each other through this trying time. It has hit home for a lot of people, especially parents of young children.
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