Mother of Tyreke Walker continues search for son who went missing in Gulf of Mexico

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - It’s been a painful month for a Louisiana family who’s son has been missing since stormy waves hit Orange Beach, Ala.

The family traveled from Baton Rouge to the beach to celebrate Tyreke Walker’s fourteenth birthday. While in the water, strong waves dragged Tyreke out to sea and he hasn’t been seen since.

Tammy Nguyen, Tyreke’s mother, said when the search first began she felt desperate but she wasn’t giving up hope.

“When everything happened, it was hard but I has a lot of things to keep me busy... Hearing them [police] say ‘there’s a good chance’ or there’s a chance at all, it kept my mind positive while trying to keep busy to do whatever I can to just help the community. I wanted to be there because they were showing us support so we wanted to be there.”

Now that more time has passed, Nguyen says she feels helpless.

“To hear that it’s slowing down a little bit [the search], like they don’t really know what to do either, or they’re like ‘if you have any suggestions let us know.’ It kind of makes me feel like what do I do? How can I help them help me kind of scenario.”

Nguyen said the only time she feels close to her son now is when she’s by a body of water, because it’s the last place she said goodbye to him. She has been visiting places like Biloxi and Grand Isle, places connected to the Gulf of Mexico, in hopes of finding Tyreke.

Nguyen is asking people to keep Tyreke’s name and story alive. She describes her son as an athlete, funny, and charismatic.

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