Seventh-Day Adventist youth drowns at Toco

Ken Marcelle, 21, a self-employed sign-painter of south Manzanilla Road, Manzanilla, drowned while bathing in the sea off Toco.

Marcelle was a member of a Seventh-Day Adventist camp of youngsters who went to spend the Carnival weekend at Cumana.
After some of the bathers returned to the house, young Marcelle went to the back of the building, despite being cautioned and decided to take another dive into the sea. His body disappeared and up until late last evening his body was not recovered. Jean Marcelle, mother of Ken, has two other sons aged 16 and 19. Around midday she received a telephone call stating her son was in an accident. Later, at about 2 pm one of the Seventh-Day pastors came to her house and told her Ken had drowned while bathing in the sea. The boy’s father, Michael Marcelle, said he had warned the mother not to send their boy on the outing because he had a bad dream, but she still allowed him to go. The father said he dreamt his son would get into trouble. The Seventh-Day Adventist group, Toco police and the Coast Guard, all tried to search for the body but their efforts up until late, were in vain.