Miami Beach police confirmed Friday a human head that washed ashore earlier this week belonged to a teen swimmer who drowned while saving his younger sister from a rip current.

Authorities said the head, which was first discovered Tuesday on a beach near Key Biscayne, was from 19-year-old Victor Castaneda Jr.

Castaneda went missing last weekend near South Pointe Beach when police said he and his sister were being pulled out to sea in a fast-moving current.

Police said Castaneda was able to help his sister break out of the current on Nov. 9, but he was unable to do so himself.

Good samaritans tried to help Castaneda in the moment, but they couldn’t reach him. Miami Beach police and the U.S. Coast Guard couldn’t find the swimmer after an intensive, three-hour search.

“It’s crushing,” William Espinosa, Castaneda’s uncle, told local Fox affiliate WSVN. “He’s only 19 years old, you know what I mean? Nobody deserves this.”

Investigators haven’t released a cause of death for Castaneda.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.