The final victim of a drowning incident on the Scioto River in Ohio has been identified as 18-year-old Jonathan Gabriel Vargas, who aspired to become a firefighter and serve in the U.S. Navy. Vargas was the last of five adults to be identified following the tragic event that occurred over the weekend.
Vargas's mother, Ana Vargas, identified her son's body on Wednesday, her birthday, at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. She told Univision News that her son had dreams of joining the Navy and subsequently pursuing a career as a firefighter, with aspirations to work on ambulances.
Born in Maryland, Vargas had lived in El Salvador for several years before reuniting with his mother and sister in 2021. He was among five individuals who drowned while attempting to rescue each other after one person began struggling in the water. The group had been fishing in what appeared to be waist-deep water when the incident occurred.
Among the other victims were two Honduran couples: Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, and his wife Marina Suyapa Regaldo, 28, and Miguel Ángel Guerra and Carmen Idalia Lara Ferrera, both 33. The drownings left two young children orphaned, as their parents were among the deceased.
All five victims resided in Columbus, Ohio. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.