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Mother dies after being swept away in river
An Orange County family is mourning the loss of a mother of two who died after being swept away in the Santa Ana River during a storm.
LOS ANGELES - A woman was found dead Thursday in the Santa Ana River.
What we know:
Firefighters were dispatched around noon on New Year's Day to a water rescue in the 2500 block of Harbor Boulevard, near the Costa Mesa Country Club.
Officials said she could be heard yelling for help, but by the time crews got to her, it was too late.
According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the body was hoisted out by a rescue team in Fountain Valley, about two miles downriver from the location of the initial call.
Officials said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her exact cause of death is unknown. Family identified her as 39-year-old Alejandra Torres, a mother of two. She leaves behind two daughters, 11 and 16.
Her family said she lives in Tustin and doesn't know what happened Thursday.
Her cousin told FOX 11 that the family has been through a lot recently.
"One of them [child] was in an accident recently in Running Springs where a bus flipped over, carrying 32 children, so it's been a rough couple of months for her," Victor Torres said.
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"This sudden and heartbreaking loss has deeply affected our family, and we are doing everything we can to support Alejandra’s girls as they face an uncertain future without their mother," the GoFundMe read.
They are raising money for her funeral as well as funds to help her two daughters.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Orange County Fire Authority, family member Victor Torres, and a GoFundMe page.