Philadelphia Teen Davoris Carter III's Body Was Found After Going Missing On a School Trip

Parents often worry plenty about their children in school. With the risk of bullying rearing its ugly head and peer pressure pushing kids to make questionable decisions, it can be a lot for parents to handle. However, school is mostly looked at as a safe place for children to learn, grow, and foster their development socially, emotionally, and physically.

While school trips are part of the standard educational curriculum, the last thing a parent would expect is for an accident to happen. With volunteers and teachers supervising the children, the risk of anything going wrong seems slim to none. But things happen, and now Philadelphia middle schooler Davoris Carter III is dead. As expected, the public is demanding answers.

Unfortunately, Davoris’s body was found on June 9, 2026, eight days after he went missing in the ocean off Wildwood, NJ, during a class trip to the Jersey Shore, per People. Authorities revealed that they received a call about swimmers being in distress around 1:30 pm on June 1. At the time, the 14-year-old was unaccounted for, while police officers, firefighters, and lifeguards were able to rescue several people.

Per the Wildwood Fire Department, local agencies, including the New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard, were on scene conducting search efforts to find Davoris. However, the case took a turn on June 9.

Per a press release shared by the Wildwood Police Department, they were informed that recovery efforts yielded the discovery of the missing teenager.

“With the assistance of the United States Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police, and the Cape May Police Department, the remains were recovered and turned over to the medical examiner’s office,” the press release states. “Upon further forensic analysis, positive identification was made confirming the identification as the missing juvenile from here in Wildwood. Next of kin notification was completed once positive identification was made.”

The department went on to give its condolences to the family of Davoris while thanking various law enforcement agencies for their efforts.

In an interview with ABC7 before Davoris’s body was found, his grandmother, Kenya Pippen, shared that this incident is the cause of insufficient supervision.

"Every child that went to the beach has a one-on-one because they're special needs," she said. "As far as I know, no staff member got into the water with any of the children. There were no lifeguards present at all, and they still allowed these children with special needs to get into the water with no adults."

Of course, the school's CEO, Dr. David Weathington, pushed back on the claim in an interview with NBC10. He shared that the students had adequate supervision, with six students and six staff members present on the trip.

Davoris’s mom, Shyara Hill, also had questions of her own.

"The weather when I got out there, it was cold,” she recalled. “Why was the decision to go in the water? Where was the people that was supposed to be there supervising?"

She also shared that Davoris was days away from graduation while attending Philadelphia’s The Delta School.

At this time, there is no word on if the school is investigating what led to the incident.

We’d like to give our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Davoris Carter III.