Local family hopes their tragic story warns others about dangerous rip currents

A local family shared their story after their father and sister died after getting caught in a rip current in Pinellas County. 42-year-old Michael Stephens and his 10-year-old daughter, Isabella, got to the beach before sunset on April 23rd. The two got stuck in a rip current and the U.S. Coast Guard discovered them about a half mile offshore. The two were pronounced deceased at a local hospital. A local family shared their story after their father and sister died after getting caught in a rip current in Pinellas County. 42-year-old Michael Stephens and his 10-year-old daughter, Isabella, got to the beach before sunset on April 23rd. The two got stuck in a rip current and the U.S. Coast Guard discovered them about a half mile offshore. The two were pronounced deceased at a local hospital. Destiny Stephens and Brooke Stephens said their sister, Isabella, always went by the name "Bella." She loved Mcdonald's and riding her bicycle. She enjoyed the beach and loved building sand castles. Destiny was not at the beach when the incident happened but recalls the phone call she received that evening. "I just started to freak out. I couldn’t really breathe. It was the worst phone call you can imagine getting and it was coming true," said Destiny Stephens. Destiny said she arrived at the hospital and received the horrible news. "It was only about ten minutes after I got there that the doctor had come in and announced their deaths. It was really hard for all of us. There was a lot of screaming, crying, hugging," she said.