Heroic Father Drowns While Rescuing 5-Year-Old Daughter

Heroic Father Drowns While Rescuing 5-Year-Old Daughter
(GoFundMe)
Jack Phillips
6/29/2017
Updated:
6/29/2017

A father in California died trying to save his daughter after his kayak overturned near Sacramento, officials said.

Roni Estuardo Avila Alvarado, 40, and his daughter were kayaking around Three Mile Slough in Brannan Island State Park when the vessel overturned, according to Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Tony Turnbull, as reported by People magazine on Wednesday.

After their kayak overturned, Alvarado jumped into the water. Witnesses apparently saw him “with the daughter and held her above water.”

Neither were wearing life jackets.

Another person on a jet ski attempted to grab Alvarado and his daughter. He was able to rescue the girl and brought her to shore, but Alvarado “went underwater and never resurfaced,” the report stated.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Sheriff’s dispatchers got a call at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday about the drowning.

“The Sacramento Sheriff’s Marine Detail and helicopter, Solano County OES Dive Team, and United States Coast Guard Rio Vista Station responded to the area to begin the search for the missing father. A little after 11:00 p.m. last night, the victim was located by dive teams and recovered,” Turnbull added.

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Alvarado, he “was an excellent father and husband” and was “a man who cared about his family.”

Some $35,000 have been raised for the family so far.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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