Missing 10-year-old girl's remains identified after Panga boat capsized off California coast
Authorities have confirmed the identity of a body that washed ashore in San Diego County last week as a 10-year-old girl who was reported missing after a Panga boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast.
Mahi Brijeshkumar Patel was one of four passengers who died after their boat capsized on May 5, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.
She had turned 10 just two days before the accident. Her body washed ashore at Torrey Pines State Beach on May 21.
Her 14-year-old brother, Prince Brijeshkumar Patel, also died in the incident. His death was ruled an accidental drowning. The siblings' parents were both rescued but the father remains in a coma, officials said. The family is from India.
The family was aboard the Pangaboat, a small boat with an outboard motor, along with several other people when it capsized at Del Mar Beach.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a call around 6:30 a.m. that a small panga-style boat with an estimated 16 people on board had overturned just north of Torrey Pines State Beach, said Hunter Schnabel, a Coast Guard public affairs officer.
The third drowning victim was identified as Marcos Lozada-Juarez, 18. The fourth victim has not yet been identified. Authorities have not confirmed a final total of how many people were aboard the boat.
Authorities began making arrests soon after the capsized boat was reported.
Two people — Jesus Ivan Rodriguez-Leyva, 36, and Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna, 30, both Mexican nationals — were arrested on the beach on suspicion of smuggling the passengers on the boat, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
A few hours later in Chula Vista, just 10 miles from the Mexican border, Border Patrol agents spotted a car, which had been seen earlier near the accident scene, and arrested three of its passengers, but the driver got away.
Agents continued their investigation and eventually stopped two other vehicles involved in the smuggling incident and discovered eight of the nine missing migrants, according to prosecutors.
The drivers of the vehicles — Melissa Jenelle Cota, 33; Gustavo Lara, 32; and Sergio Rojas-Fregoso, 31 — were arrested and charged with the transportation of undocumented immigrants, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
An inside look at the Georgia National Guard on the U.S.-Mexico border
In a Channel 2 Action News exclusive, Georgia Army National Guard soldiers gave a boots-on-the-ground view of their work on the Texas-Mexico border. Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne went to the Del Rio, Texas, sector, and he reported that Georgia soldiers have been working on the southern border longer than many people may think. 'I feel like the mission is very essential to national security,' said Staff Sgt. Erica Marroquin. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The immigration debate may put the eyes of a nation on the U.S.-Mexico border, but Georgia Army National Guard Commander Brigadier Gen. Jason Fryman said they are apolitical in their services. The biggest job two Georgia Guard companies have in the Del Rio sector is keeping eyes on the border to watch for illegal crossings and notifying the U.S. Border Patrol, who makes arrests when called for. 'Sometimes you see stuff on TV, and you never really think you would actually be a part of that,' said Spc. Tatyanna Heard-Gerald. Heard-Gerald says in civilian life she works at a window factory in Bibb County. Here, she helps man a border patrol high tech surveillance truck, as does Spc. Oscar Ramiro. 'I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, and on the civilian side I work with my father in construction,' Ramiro said. Fryman says one company is an engineering unit, the other a maintenance company. But most of the 250 Georgia soldiers on the border have adapted to the surveillance, or spotter, mission as members of Task Force Badger led by the Wisconsin National Guard. Wisconsin Army National Guard Lt. Col. Bryan Huebsch told Winne in civilian life he works in workforce development, but on the border, he commands a force of 400 soldiers. 'The number in our task force has grown since October as part of a larger DOD force increase across the border,' he said. 'We went from about 2,000 soldiers to 10,000 soldiers across the entire border.' Georgia National Guard Capt. Kyle Bailey says the work his soldiers do in texas, from maintaining border patrol trucks to warehousing and ordering supplies, and most importantly the surveillance mission, frees up Customs and Border Protection officers to focus on their main job. 'I believe every troop out here is making a difference,' Bailey said. Fryman said the Georgia Guard is not new to the border, with a continuous presence there since 2018. A major told Winne me that a haversack he showed him was carried by a Georgia soldier on the border in 1916. 'I can tell you something about 1916: The Border Patrol did not exist until 1924, so that makes a difference,' said Efren Olivares, legal director of the National Immigration Law Center. Olivares said he believes border enforcement should be left to the federal enforcement agencies. 'I encourage all viewers to look beyond the politics of it,' he said. Del Rio sector acting Chief Patrol Agent Desi Deleon says many factors caused the dramatic drop, including actions by the Mexican government and stronger enforcement of consequences in existing U.S. law, but a major increase in U.S. military on the border in recent months, including the Georgia National Guard, is a factor. 'Del Rio has been one of the busiest sectors throughout the nation over the last few years,' Deleon said. 'They were averaging about 3,000 to 4,000 apprehensions at the high water mark a day, whereas now we're anywhere from 40 to 50 on a daily basis.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two men sentenced for plans of distributing meth in 2022
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Two men have been sentenced in federal court for transporting eight kilograms of methamphetamine. According to a United States Department of Justice press release, Juan Alvardo-Alvardo, a Mexican national, and Jesus Sanchez, of Joplin, were sentenced following the transport of methamphetamine from Dallas, Texas, to Joplin. Alvardo-Alvarado was sentenced to 192 months in federal prison without parole with five years of supervised release. The man first pleaded guilty on Sept. 23, 2024. Sanchez was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison without parole with 5 followed years of supervised release. He first pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2024. Arkansas man arrested in Springfield after 130 farm animals found in neglect The two men were first found with methamphetamine on May 25, 2022, during a traffic stop by police in Newton County, the release says. Police say Sanchez admitted during a post-Miranda interview that Alvardo-Alvardo and he had traveled to Dallas to purchase the methamphetamine. Both men were charged on June 6, 2022, after plans to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Do you recognize this truck? SLCPD asks for help identifying hit-and-run suspect
This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available. SALT LAKE CITY () — The Salt Lake City Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying a suspect and vehicle that may have been involved in a hit-and-run crash. According to a press release, on May 25, 2025, around 1:19 a.m., SLCPD received multiple calls about a pedestrian being hit by a pickup truck near 50 North and 800 West in Salt Lake City. Monday morning police pursuit ends with one in custody near Kimball Junction When police arrived at the scene, the pickup truck and driver involved had already left. Detectives believe that the pickup truck is a 'newer model GMC Sierra.' Photos of the truck were shared to help the public possibly identify the driver. Police report that the truck had no license plate and was being driven by an unknown person. It was last seen travelling westbound on North Temple Street in Salt Lake City. If you have any information or recognize the driver or vehicle from these photos, detectives ask that you contact SLCPD at 801-799-3000 and reference case number 25-118017. Senate Republicans divided over 'big, beautiful bill' Do you recognize this truck? SLCPD asks for help identifying hit-and-run suspect BLM to remove over 3,000 wild horses from Wyoming land Utah father and son duo charged for allegedly supporting Mexican drug cartel Stage 1 fire restrictions issued for multiple southwest Utah counties Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
