Former police officer drowns while saving family from rip current in South Carolina
Beach trip turns deadly as ex-baseball player Anderson “Chase” Childers sacrifices his life in front of wife and children
A family vacation to Pawleys Island ended in tragedy when a dangerous rip current pulled multiple swimmers into trouble — and one man ran into the waves without hesitation. What happened next left an entire community grieving.
Witnesses say Anderson “Chase” Childers, 38, was on the shore with his wife and three young children Sunday afternoon when he noticed swimmers struggling in the surf. Without a life jacket and with little time to think, the former Georgia police officer and a fellow beachgoer charged into the ocean.
The two men reached the distressed swimmers and managed to help them toward safety. But the water was relentless. The five people survived — Childers did not.
Childers grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, and later lived in Paulding County. He served more than three years as a patrol officer with the Cobb County Police Department, where colleagues recall his dedication to protecting others.
Long before wearing a badge, he was a standout baseball player. After playing at North Cobb Christian School and Georgia State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 and spent several seasons in their minor league system.
The Orioles issued a statement calling his death a loss “felt deeply by all who knew him.”
Witnessed by those who loved him most
The scene unfolded just yards from where Childers’ wife and children stood. A GoFundMe page created for them describes his final act as one of pure selflessness.
“In a heroic act, he saved a family of five in a moment of crisis… putting their lives above his own,” the fundraiser reads. “After giving everything he had, he was unable to stay above water.”
The campaign has already raised more than $234,000, with donations pouring in from friends, strangers, and former teammates.
To those who knew him, Childers will be remembered not just for his athletic ability or his service in uniform, but for living by a simple principle: if someone needed help, he would answer the call.
