Body pulled from Santa Ana River on New Year’s Day ID’d
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A woman whose body was pulled from the Santa Ana River on New Year’s Day after having been carried from Santa Ana to Fountain Valley has been identified as a 39-year-old with no discernible living address, authorities report.
Fire crews from Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to 911 calls from bystanders shortly before noon Thursday regarding a person seen floating in the river, near Warner Avenue in Santa Ana, OCFA Capt. Sean Doran said Friday.
Approximately 60 firefighters responded to areas on the river, locating the individual in Fountain Valley, south of the river’s juncture with the 405 Freeway and north of the Gisler Avenue river trail in Costa Mesa — more than 1.5 miles from the initial discovery area.
Accessing the spot was difficult for the swift water rescue crew, due to high fenced walls along the river’s edge, so a ladder truck was used to lower a worker with a rescue basket down to the water below, Doran said Friday.
Doran said the individual was retrieved but pronounced dead at the scene. She was later identified by coroner’s officials as Alejandra Ramirez Torres, a possible transient, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Lizbeth Gwisdalla confirmed Friday.
The cause of the woman’s death was not immediately known, pending further investigation.
