Overview
- A mother and her two children were swept into the ocean near Treasure Island Beach on June 9, and bystanders rescued the mother and one child while 5-year-old Amada Mia Brown was carried out to sea.
- Laguna Beach Marine Safety, the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search that spanned more than 30 hours and covered over 90 square miles before active searching was suspended because of low visibility and hazardous conditions.
- An early-morning aerial survey located a possible match about 250 to 300 yards offshore of Christmas Cove on June 11, and Marine Safety personnel with harbor patrol assistance recovered the child from the water.
- The Orange County coroner’s office positively identified the decedent as Amada Mia Brown and notified the family, who held a vigil and launched a fundraiser while the community mourned.
- Officials and the National Weather Service said long-period swells from the southern Pacific and local underwater topography amplified shore breaks and rip currents, prompting intensified lifeguard warnings and advisories to stay out of the water during the event.