The Corpus Christi Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, and Texas Game Wardens found the body of 66-year-old Charles Huff near the Fish Pass jetties by Mustang Island State Park on Tuesday. According to Corpus Christi police, the last time anyone spoke to Huff was Sunday afternoon, and the family reported him missing late Monday night.
Friends of Huff are mourning the loss of the man they describe as fun, silly, and friendly.
"Gonna miss you. I love him. He'd always tell me, 'I love you sweets,' before we hang up the phone," said Melanie Trevino, a Corpus Christi neighbor who had been friends with Huff for decades.
Trevino said she was shocked to hear about the death of her longtime friend, whom she called "Chuck." She grew up with him in the Calallen area, and said that he loved fishing and watching local sports.
"My heart just stopped because I had seen a post, you know, saying he was missing, and then, like not even two minutes later, I got a couple messages, you know, like, no they found and he's gone. And I was like, no way," Trevino said.
Lieutenant Braden Tackett of the Corpus Christi Police Department confirmed there was no evidence of foul play in Huff's death.
"When we did locate his body, there appeared to be no foul play and appears to have, just again, be an unfortunate accident," Tackett said. "There's no indication that he was injured in any way."
While authorities say the death may have been an "unfortunate accident," Tackett confirmed Huff had underlying health conditions. Trevino shared that Huff was battling prostate cancer.
"He texted me 'Happy Mother's Day. I love you very much. Have a great day.' And I said 'Thank you so much, Chuck. I love you more.' You know, that's when he told me he had cancer," Trevino said.
According to Trevino, Huff's son died almost exactly one year ago, making this loss even more difficult for his loved ones.
She remembers his playful spirit. "That was our crazy sunglasses day. He wanted us to wear them, and so we went out and we wore them. He was silly like that. He was a very silly person," Trevino said.
Trevino says she'll miss their regular conversations. "I have nobody to speak sports with anymore. I want to be able to call him, and speak to him, hear his voice, hear him say 'I love you sweets,'" she said.
The Nueces County Medical Examiner's office completed an autopsy on Huff's body on Wednesday morning. Staff says they have not yet determined a cause of death, and that information may take a few weeks to be released.
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