(Seguin) — The body of a 22-year old woman has been recovered from the Guadalupe River, whle the search continues for another man that went missing on Sunday evening.
Kelly Mann, criminal investigators sergeant at the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, tells KWED that the body of 22-year old Casandra Kendrick was located about 8:44 last night. Kendrick and an unidentified man from another family jumped into the water near the FM 1117 bridge to rescue two children who were struggling to swim. The man and Kendrick were able to successfully reach and rescue the children, but they were then both swept away by the strong currents in that area.
The incident started around 5 p.m. Sunday, and emergency crews were able to locate Kendrick’s body almost four hours later. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Darrell Hunter. The search for the missing man was temporarily halted last night, and is expected to resume today. The man’s name has not been released at this time.
It’s not uncommon for people to be in the river at that location, but it’s also not uncommon for people to be swept up by strong currents near that FM 1117 bridge. There have been a number of stories similar to this over the years.
Sheriff’s Office Lt. Javier Luna says that the man was reportedly with his three children, and the Kendrick was with a separate larger family group. Both families were out on a small island in the middle of the river. Relatives told authorities two children got caught up in the current, and the man went in after them. The woman also went in to help. The man was able to reach both children and then pass them off to Kendrick. The man started to struggle himself, and Kendrick went in to try to help him. Lt. Luna says both would then go under the water and never resurface.
Several emergency agencies responded to the scene and are still working to find the missing man. The list includes personnel from the sheriff’s office, the Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, state troopers, local volunteer fire departments, and the Seguin Fire/EMS Department. Teams walked the area and helicopters from the Texas Department of Public Safety were also flown in to assist with the search. Officials say they hope to be able to recover the man’s body today.