19-year-old identified as woman who was swept away, drowned off Tybee Island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — A 19-year-old has been identified by family members as the woman who drowned after she was swept away from a sandbar off Tybee Island last week.

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Ayana Janay Miller was walking with her boyfriend when they got caught up in a current on Friday. Miller was rushed to the hospital, where she died.

Her boyfriend told police that as he struggled, another man came and pulled his head above the water and told him to “turn over and float.”

Police told ABC News affiliate WJCL that the Good Samaritan had been identified, but did not release that person’s identity.

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Family members described Miller in a GoFundMe set up to help with funeral expenses.

“At 19 years old, her light had only just begun to shine. But in her brief time with us, she shone fiercely enough to brighten every life her light fell upon. Passionate about life, she was full of love and overflowing with creativity,” the wrote. “She squeezed every drop out of her short life, as shown in her dedication to school, work, art, and her love of animals and the beach.”

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Miller lived in Richmond Hill, Georgia but went to high school in Texas, according to her obituary.

“Ayana and I have been inseparable for nearly half my life, and moving forward without her will be incredibly tough,” her mother, Sara Miller, said on social media.

You can donate to the GoFundMe HERE.

$20,000 reward being offered for safe return of missing 12-year-old Hall County girl

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