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Father of teen killed while kayaking: ‘My world came down and it is still down’

Posted at 11:27 PM, Jun 16, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-16 23:45:31-04

Kitty Hawk, NC - The body of a 14-year-old boy was recovered in Kitty Hawk. On Sunday, Justin Greene's father, Justin Sr., found out what he had feared for days.

"My world came down and it is still down," Greene said.

Friday, the teen told his dad he was going fishing with a friend. Their Point Harbor neighborhood is on the Currituck Sound. That morning, Justin went out on the water in a friend's kayak. The teen wasn't wearing a life jacket. The empty boat was found later that night.

"When I first found out about it, it was unreal," The boy's father said. "I almost thought that maybe he, it was denial or disbelief."

For hours, the Coast Guard searched for Justin. On Saturday, some of the 14-year-old's clothes were recovered.

"I held on right up until we actually heard the news that he was found," Greene said.

The Greenes had just moved to Point Harbor earlier in the spring.

Within the first few days, the whole neighborhood just seemed to love him, all the neighborhood kids," says Greene.
Justin Sr.'s health isn't good.

He has kidney failure and is on dialysis.

"He would want me to keep going," Greene said.

Dad says Justin had only been in a kayak a few times before. The Sound outside his door is no longer a beautiful view, but the place where his teenage son died. His worry over his health has now been replaced by the grief over his son.

"When he was around, he was my motivator, one of the few things that kept me going," says Greene.