Body found at Venice Beach identified as WWE star who went missing days earlier

VENICE, Calif. -- Days after former WWE wrestling star Shad Gaspard went missing in waters off Venice Beach, authorities said on Wednesday his body was found in the area.[br /][br /]The Los Angeles Police Department said the deceased was identified as the 39-year-old and his next of kin was notified.[br /][Ads /][br /]The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the area near Lifeguard Tower 26 at Venice Beach at about 1:46 a.m. Wednesday after being contacted by LAPD, the fire department said.[br /][br /]Gaspard and other swimmers got caught up in strong rip currents Sunday[/url] near the 4200 block of South Ocean Front Walk. A 10-year-old boy, believed to be Gaspard's son, was rescued by lifeguards.[br /][br /][media ID="6193616" /][br /][br /]The boy was not hospitalized after he was pulled from the water. He was described as being in good shape.[br /][br /]Gaspard was a star with World Wrestling Entertainment in the mid-to-late 2000s, making up one half of the tag team Cryme Time with his partner JTG.[br /][Ads /][br /]On Monday, his wife, fitness trainer and nutritionist Siliana Gaspard, pleaded for help on finding her husband, posting two photos of him on Instagram and saying he'd been missing since Sunday at the beach.[br /][br /]The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday said it suspended its search for the missing swimmer.[br /][br /]The Coast Guard's Base Los Angeles/Long Beach said it suspended its efforts "after 16.5 hours of searching with multiple rescue assets covering 70 square nautical miles and seven search patterns.".