Tragic reason Michigan man's body washed up on shore of spring break hotspot
The footage showed Quintana Roo Civil Protection workers carrying the body of Alejandro González on the shores of Chacmool Beach on Wednesday.
González was with a group of friends to the tourist hotspot when he disappeared on Sunday evening.
The College of Creative Studies student ran into the water after he saw one of his friends struggling to stay afloat as she was being dragged by a current.
González was able to save the woman but was swept further into the Caribbean Sea and was not seen again.
'We held out hope, and prayed for a miracle,' González's mother, Renee González, wrote in a heartbreaking post on Facebook.
'While the outcome wasn't what we wanted, God did answer our prayers. Alejandro's body has been found, Matt and I are going to be able to bring our baby home.'
The Facebook post also featured the last picture that was taken of Alejandro moments before his disappearance.
'The smile on his face reminds me how happy he was to be with his friends and spending time somewhere new,' Renee wrote.
'It's good to know he was so happy.'
The heartbroken mother lauded her son's courageous decision to risk his own life to save his friend, who was among the former Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy classmates on his spring break trip to the Mexican resort city.
'That is who Alejandro was, he put others above himself always,' Renee told ABC affiliate WJRT.
'He loved his friends so much that the reason he's not here is because he was trying to save one of them. She got pulled out, and he wanted to help make sure she made it back to shore, and she made it, and he didn't.'
Alejandro worked as a barista at Sips 476, a coffee shop in Saginaw.
'He is an absolute hero,' his godmother, Melissa Pocock, said.
'The Bible says that there's no greater love than a man lay down his life for another, and that's what he did,' said Pocock.
Renee, who set up a GoFundMe account, had been planning on traveling to Mexico before authorities located Alejandro's body and will now wait for her son's remains to be flown back to the United States.
'Thank you all again for all the love and support. We are going to continue to accept donations, while it looks like Matt and I won't be going to Mexico,' she said.
'We are going to need help with the expense to bring him home, and all of the expenses that come with a situation like this.'
The fundraiser has garnered nearly $10,000 toward its $15,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.
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