Strong storms bring traggity.

Body of missing daughter found after man who drowned off Calif. beach ID'd

By Katie Dowd, Amanda Bartlett

Monterey County officials confirmed they found the body of a missing 5-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean, KSBW reported Sunday evening. The girl's body was found about 100 yards offshore, officials said. 

Officials found a body they believe to be the missing 5-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean by a large wave at a Monterey County beach on Friday.

Mid Coast Fire Brigade fire chief Cheryl Goetz told KSBW the body matching the description of the girl washed ashore at approximately 1:25 p.m. Coroners have yet to identify the body and notify her next of kin, at which point the Monterey County Sheriff's Office is expected to share more information. SFGATE reached out for comment and did not immediately hear back. 

The news follows a "large-scale search" that started at sunrise on Saturday and continued until nightfall, involving multiple agencies, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said. The search was suspended on Sunday, but California State Parks personnel remained on the scene to continue combing the shoreline on foot. 

Nov. 16, 5:40 a.m. The father who died trying to rescue his young daughter when she was swept into the ocean at a Monterey County beach has been identified. The girl, 5, is still missing despite a two-day search effort. 

On Friday, a family of four, among them 39-year-old Yuji Hu of Calgary, Canada, visited Garrapata State Beach, south of Carmel. Amid 15 to 20-foot waves, Hu’s daughter was “swept off the shoreline” and into the ocean, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said. Both Hu and the girl’s mother entered the water to attempt to rescue her, but only the mother was able to swim back to the shore. 

“A beach visitor and an off-duty California State Parks Officer were able to pull Hu from the water and immediately began CPR,” the sheriff’s office said. The adults were taken to a nearby hospital; Hu was declared deceased, while the woman, who is not being identified, was hospitalized in stable condition with hypothermia. A 2-year-old child who was also with the family was unharmed.

“A spokesperson for the family has requested privacy during this difficult time, and the family does not wish to issue any public statement,” the sheriff’s office said.

Multiple agencies, including the Coast Guard and Cal Fire, joined the search for the missing girl on Saturday. She was last seen wearing a white shirt, the sheriff’s office said. Searches will continue on Sunday.