A search-and-recovery operation ended in tragedy Sunday afternoon after authorities located the body of a missing 17-year-old boy in the Stanislaus River.<\/p>\n
Emergency personnel first responded to reports of a swimmer in distress Saturday afternoon at Caswell Memorial State Park in San Joaquin County.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old victim has been identified by family members as Gabriel Santiago. Obtained by the CA Post<\/p>\n
Emergency personnel first responded to reports of a swimmer in distress Saturday afternoon at Caswell Memorial State Park. Courtesy of California State Parks, 2026<\/p>\n
Because crews from the Ripon Consolidated Fire Department were actively battling a vegetation fire<\/a> at the time, the Manteca Fire Department initially stepped in to handle the dispatch.<\/p>\n The victim has been identified by family members as Gabriel Santiago.<\/p>\n His mother told KCRA<\/a> that Gabriel was out with friends when the incident occurred and described him as a loving child.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n First responders launched a multi-agency search around 4 p.m. Saturday, scouring the river and shoreline until dark. Courtesy of California State Parks, 2026<\/p>\n Santiago was rafting when he went underwater and failed to resurface, according to the San Joaquin County<\/a> Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n First responders launched a multi-agency search around 4 p.m. Saturday, scouring the river and shoreline until dark.<\/p>\n Operations resumed Sunday morning and continued into the afternoon before searchers recovered his body.<\/p>\n The San Joaquin County Sheriff\u2019s Office is leading the ongoing investigation into the drowning, supported by its Boating Safety Unit, Unmanned Aircraft System drone team, and Ripon Fire personnel.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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