Who was Carlos Sanchez? Arizona man drowns in Gila River while searching for ring given by mom
AVONDALE, ARIZONA: Carlos Sanchez, a 53-year-old man from Arizona, died after drowning in the Gila River in Avondale on November 5 while searching for a ring his mother had gifted him.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) arrived at the El Mirage and Indian Springs roads area after receiving a call just after 5 pm on November 5, and reported someone yelling for help in the river. The police started searching for Sanchez around 7 pm but were unable to find anyone near the water when they got there.
The Avondale Police Department, along with divers, searched the part of the Gila River for several hours. Reportedly, the area where Sanchez went missing was about six feet to 10 feet deep.
MCSO also used technology like an underwater robot and a drone to pinpoint his exact location.
After several hours of searching, the police recovered the body at 2.15 pm on November 6, reported Fox 10 Phoenix.
Carlos Sanchez's friends and family remember him as a 'beautiful man'
Sanchez lost his life in his attempt to recover a lost ring his mother had given him. His friends and family are shocked over his untimely passing while searching for his mother's gift.
"He's a beautiful man," said Sanchez's nephew, Daniel Yescas, to Fox 10 Phoenix. "He's always been there for me. He's a father, a grandfather, a husband, he means so much to everybody."
The deceased's friend Lora Lopaz, who previously had accompanied him to the river to search for the ring, was also in tears, remembering Sanchez.
"He was a great guy. Very giving. If you needed something, he gave it to you," she said. "He was always there for me when I needed him."
Carlos Sanchez drowned due to strong undercurrents
Lopaz told the media that she was not concerned when Sanchez went into the river to search for the ring since he had done that before.
"We were just trying to find the ring his mom gave him and just couldn't do anything about it." She recalled that the tragedy happened when he tried to cross the river. "The water was deep, and the current was pulling underneath, and he got tired."
MCSO Sgt Joaquin Enriquez ruled out any possibility of foul play, attributing the death to drowning due to strong undercurrents.
"Six to eight feet of water was the deepest, but the bottom was very murky, very muddy, so we're talking about you actually go into the bottom instead of trying to push off like you would a backyard pool," said the sergeant. "It may look calm on the surface, but underneath, we have currents."
Additional details about the deceased are still unavailable.