‘Absolutely tragic.’ Family grieves after wave sweeps kids out to sea in Oregon

On her way home after photographing the waves Saturday at Falcon Cove on the Oregon coast, Joanne Cornelius noticed a family heading for the beach, the Associated Press reports.

A few minutes later, a frantic woman pounded on the window of her nearby home, according to the publication. A wave had swept two children out to sea, she cried.

A 47-year-old Portland man had been holding his two kids, ages 7 and 4, on the shore when a wave carried them all out to sea about 12:30 p.m., McClatchy News reported.

Rescuers found the father, Jeremy Stiles, struggling to get back to shore and pulled his 7-year-old daughter, Lola, from the ocean, The Oregonian reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard later called off a search for William Stiles, 4, whose body remains missing, according to the publication.

Jeremy Stiles is now recovering from hypothermia in the hospital, his family reported in a statement on a GoFundMe set up to help with expenses.

The family was on an off-beach trail when “a sneaker wave creeped up onto the beach trail they were walking on and pulled them out to sea,” the family says.

“Our hearts as you can imagine could not be more broken as both children were loved beyond measure by our entire family and so many others,” the statement reads.

The National Weather Service had issued a warning for king tides, rough surf and sneaker waves over the weekend, McClatchy News reported.

“I’ve lived here since 1972, and I’ve never seen such high water,” Cornelius said, The Oregonian reported. “It’s a dangerous place. It’s hard to get down to the beach. There’s no access other than over the rocks and rough trails.”

After calling 911, she watched as rescuers helped the distraught father to a vehicle while others carried Lola’s body to an ambulance, the Associated Press reported. A woman with the family was in hysterics.

“I tried to get her to go into my house to warm up, but she refused. She was wearing no shoes and she was soaking wet,” Cornelius said, according to the publication. “It was tragic, just absolutely tragic.”

Some questioned why trails and beaches remained open after the deaths, but local authorities say they don’t have the personnel to post people at every entrance, KATU reported. Police say they did try to turn people away.

“We spent several different opportunities this weekend advising people but also having to go down and tell people to get off the beach,” said Police Chief Jason Schermerhon in nearby Cannon Beach, according to the station.

“People come out here because they want to be weather-watching, but they don’t realize how dangerous the weather can be and how fast it can change,” said Rick Hudson, emergency manager for Cannon Beach, the Associated Press reported.

“You can be in raincoat, watching the beautiful storm happen, and all of a sudden you have a 30-foot wave, and it swells up and goes all the way up to the maximum part of the beach — and you have nowhere to go,” Hudson said, according to the publication.

The Stiles family, which operates a Portland coffee shop, also thanked the Coast Guard and other authorities for their rescue efforts, The Oregonian reported.

The GoFundMe account had raised more than $58,000 toward a $75,000 goal by Tuesday morning.

A vigil for the family will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Hoffman Center for the Arts in Manzanita, Oregon, KOIN reported.

This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 7:58 AM with the headline "‘Absolutely tragic.’ Family grieves after wave sweeps kids out to sea in Oregon."