An Ontario family’s summer trip to California ended in tragedy after a 12-year-old girl fell from a boat and died.
Lia Rose Barakett was riding in a boat with family friends at the San Vicente Reservoir in San Diego County last weekend.
The medical examiner’s office in San Diego says the boat was dragging a tube behind it with passengers when one of the tubers fell off. The boat stopped abruptly and Barakett was thrown over the front end. The boat then sailed over top of the young girl in the water.
According to the medical examiner’s office release, Barakett was wearing a life-jacket at the time of the incident, but she was somehow separated from it and became submerged in the water.
An immediate search for the 12-year-old girl was unsuccessful. Four days later, Barakett’s body was discovered approximately 50 metres below the surface by a team of divers using sonar technology.
“All our hearts go out to her family members in what must be an incredibly difficult time,” Sgt. Michael P. Stirk with the San Diego Sheriff’s Office said.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board confirmed to CTV Kitchener that Barakett was a student at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School in Waterloo, Ont. The young girl was set to start Grade 8 in a couple of weeks.
The school board said there will be support services available to members of the school community and the girl’s family and friends.
With files from CTV Kitchener
