Body Of Missing Marine With CT Ties Found Off Japan Coast: Report

DARIEN, CT — The body of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Eric John Niss-De Jesus, a missing Marine from Minnesota with family ties to Connecticut, was found off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The Connecticut Post reports Niss-De Jesus was swimming with three other Marines on June 5 when the group got caught in a rip current. While the other three Marines made it back to shore, his family said he got swept away in the rip current and went missing.

A family member created a GoFundMe campaign for Niss-De Jesus' immediate family on day three of the search, and later noted they were preparing this week to fly to Japan before the body was discovered Wednesday.

According to News 12 Connecticut, Niss-De Jesus' family owns a storefront in Darien and his stepmother and father live in Easton. Neighbors described the 24-year-old Marine to News 12 as a kind and intelligent person.

The family also plans to hold a memorial service for him in Minnesota at a later date, according to News 12 Connecticut.