Authorities are investigating the death of Bryn Waite, a 26-year-old former college soccer player who was found unresponsive in the waters off San Diego's La Jolla Shores Beach on Wednesday. Emergency personnel responded to the scene around 9:30 a.m. after a bystander reported seeing the woman floating in shallow water near the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier.
Waite was pronounced dead at the scene. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified her and stated that her cause and manner of death are under investigation by the San Diego Police Department. Her place of injury was listed as "Ocean – Undetermined," with the date and time of injury unknown.
Waite, originally from Anchorage, Alaska, played defender for Central Washington University during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. She earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honors in 2019. Friends described Waite as sweet, kind, and warm, noting her love for animals and the beach.
Her public Instagram account featured photos from various travels, and her final post, shared three days before her body was found, was a nighttime photo captioned, "It only gets better." Investigators have not released information on how Waite ended up in the water or whether foul play is suspected. The Medical Examiner's Office has not provided an estimated time of death, and it is unclear if Waite had been reported missing prior to her discovery.