Family Seeks Help After Potomac River Drowning

Manuel De Jesus Flores Bustillo, an 18-year-old from Dumfries, Virginia, drowned in the Potomac River near Cockpit Point after being swept away by strong currents while swimming with friends. The group swam past the twelfth piling of a pier into Maryland waters before the tide surged; one friend was pulled to shore, another held onto a piling, and Bustillo disappeared underwater. A multi-agency search ended with the recovery of Bustillo's body by Prince William County Police divers around 7:30 p.m. Initial forensic examinations found no signs of trauma or foul play, with further evaluation pending from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Bustillo's family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help repatriate his body to Honduras. Officials have reiterated warnings about the dangerous and deceptive currents of the Potomac River.