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20-foot wooden cross washes up on Florida beach, mystery may be solved

Is it a coincidence or is it a sign?
Credit: AP
Aglair Rigos checks out a cross on the Galt Ocean Mile behind the Ocean Manor Beach Resort, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. The large, barnacle-covered wooden cross washed ashore along the South Florida beach, captivating tourists who dragged it from the water’s edge. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A few days ago, a large, barnacle-covered wooden cross has washed ashore along a South Florida beach, captivating tourists who dragged it from the water's edge.

John Skorupa tells the Sun Sentinel he was walking along Fort Lauderdale beach on Saturday when he came upon the 20-foot (6-meter) cross swaying in the water.

A group of people carried it up and onto the beach, where it now rests in the sand, becoming a popular photo spot.

Skroupa says theories about its origins abound at the local tiki bar. The one that makes the most sense to him is that it floated from Puerto Rico after a series of hurricanes.

Greg Gay posted this video of the cross washed up on his Facebook page.

Credit: Greg Gay

The story and photo also captivated many people on Twitter. There was clearly a line drawn between who sensationalized and speculated divine intervention and those who used logic.

There may now be an answer to the mystery connecting the cross to North Carolina.

The Miami Herald reports that a woman believes the cross was erected on an island off North Carolina in 2016 in memory of her brother who disappeared while on a solo hunting trip in Hatteras Inlet.

Robin Stowe contacted the newspaper on Wednesday after reports surfaced about the 20-foot (6-meter) cross, which has been captivating tourists who dragged it from the water's edge at Fort Lauderdale's beach last weekend.

After Stowe's brother disappeared, a bunch of friends put the cross on the inlet. She says it likely was swept away during Hurricane Michael last October.

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