Hawaii-bound Marine
falls overboard,
is presumed dead

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Associated Press

A search for a Marine believed to have fallen overboard in the Pacific Ocean has ended with military officials saying he was presumed dead.

Cpl. Robert A. Contreras, 21, of Corona, was reported missing Sunday night from the USS Belleau Wood, a San Diego-based amphibious assault ship bound for Hawaii from Guam.

Rescue operations ended yesterday after an unsuccessful 57-hour search that spanned 1,200 square miles.

The search area was located near Wake Island, about 2,500 miles west of Hawaii.