LAGUNA BEACH (CNS) – The body of a 5-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean in Laguna Beach was recovered Thursday.
The girl was with her mother and a sibling when a powerful wave swept the trio into the ocean from the shoreline near Treasure Island Beach about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bystanders rescued the woman and one child, but the girl was swept away, authorities said.
Early Thursday morning, police spotted a girl’s body roughly 250 to 300 yards offshore from Christmas Cove — roughly a quarter-mile north of where the family had been swept into the ocean, according to the city. Long Beach Marine Safety crews responded and recovered the body, which was positively identified as the missing girl.
She was identified as Amada Mia Brown of San Bernardino, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
“This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community,” Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement.
Crews from the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard spent Wednesday searching coastal and offshore areas using boats, personal watercraft, aircraft, dive teams, and shore-based personnel, but were unable to locate the girl.
Waves exceeding 9 feet have been breaking along beaches in Orange and Los Angeles counties this week, prompting warnings from the National Weather Service and local agencies about the dangers of being swept into the water and carried off by powerful riptides.
The high surf is not expected to subside until later this week.
Recent Comments