Stranger drowns after helping Texas father rescue his sons from river, officials say

A woman is dead and a father is missing after saving his children from drowning in a Texas river Sunday afternoon.

Authorities are still searching for the 30-year-old man, who jumped into the Guadalupe River when two of his sons were swept away by the current, the Seguin Gazette reported. He grabbed the young boys and handed them off to a 22-year-old woman, who was on the island in the middle of the river with her family.

He managed to get the boys to safety but couldn’t make it out himself, WOAI reported. The woman saw him struggling and went in after him. Neither of them resurfaced.

Search crews found the woman’s body around 9 p.m., according to KENS5. Her name was Casandra Kendrick.

The father’s name has not been released, outlets report.

Authorities paused search efforts at 10 p.m. Sunday but continued Monday morning.

This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Stranger drowns after helping Texas father rescue his sons from river, officials say."