Father’s body recovered after child rescued from American River
By Shelby Reilly, Richard Ramos
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PLACER COUNTY, California (KOVR) — A family trip took a tragic turn Sunday when a man went missing in the American River in Placer County while trying to save his son.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said a dive team on Monday located the body of the father just downstream of the No Hands Bridge, which is where he had last been seen.
The father was identified Zabiullah Haliqyar, 38.
Lauren Shoemaker, State Park Superintendent for the Auburn State Recreation Area, said they received a call around 11:50 a.m. Sunday for two people in the water, a child and an adult male.
Shoemaker said a Good Samaritan who was trying to help the situation pulled out the child, who is said to be fine. Haliqyar went under the water and had been missing since.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Dive Team was searching the river Sunday from No Hands Bridge to China Bar.
“There are areas in this river where I won’t swim in, that’s for sure. It’s just way too fast and not too many places to get out,” Ryan Thrift, a river-goer, said.
Thrift said he frequents several rivers in the area and unfortunately has heard this story one too many times.
“The problem I see is people don’t know how to swim out of the water. They swim against the current,” Thrift said.
Dallas Thrift said many people he has seen out on the river underestimate how powerful the current can be.
“Some people get in rivers like this and don’t even know how to swim so that’s dangerous,” Dallas Thrift said.
Shoemaker said this is a terrifying reminder of how dangerous any body of water can be.
“When people come out to any sort of waterway, we always recommend they familiarize themselves with the waterways before they come out. Rivers are different than lakes,” Shoemaker said.
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