Two bodies found in the L.A. River on Sunday have been identified as two teenage boys who went missing on Friday.
The L.A. County Coroner's office identified two bodies found in the L.A. River in Cypress Park as Carlos Jovel, 16, and Gustavo Ramirez, 15. Both both attended Sotomayor Learning Academy, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The boys had gone out with two other friends on Friday, but did not come back home. At about 5 p.m., a caller told police that they spotted two people in the river near San Fernando Road and Macon Street. LAPD Officer Aaeron Jefferson tells LAist that both helicopter and patrol units went looking, but did not find anyone. That same night, at about 10 p.m., the families reported the boys as missing. The families were initially not aware that the friends had gone swimming, according to the L.A. Times.
On Sunday, at about 10:30 a.m., authorities received information indicating that the boys and their friends had been at the river. That evening at about 6:45 p.m., authorities located the first body. The second was found about 45 minutes later. Both were completely submerged and were not visible from the surface. One of the boys had apparently fallen in, and the other dove into the water to help him.
LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar told KTLA that the area where the bodies were found is "dangerous," with water as deep as 12 feet.
"We tell people to stay away from moving water," she said.
