Girl Swept Away In Half Moon Bay Identified

HALF MOON BAY, CA — Authorities have named a young girl who was swept into the ocean with her grandfather Saturday afternoon off Half Moon Bay. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office identified the young victim as Narepzi Navarrete, 5, of Merced. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the girl was the granddaughter of a 54-year-old man who has yet to be found.

The tragedy stuck amid a beach hazards advisory that was in place across the coastline over the holiday weekend, due to astronomical high tides and elevated risks for sneaker waves and rip currents.

According to the Coast Guard, search teams deployed from Air Station San Francisco, Station Golden Gate, and the Coast Guard Cutter Hawksbill after the call came in from the Martins Beach area around 2 p.m. Saturday.

Firefighters from San Mateo County were able to reach the girl, but officials said she died shortly after arriving at the hospital. The search continued into Sunday for the girl's grandfather, who authorities have not identified, before the Coast Guard suspended the operation in the afternoon.

"The decision to suspend search efforts is one of the hardest decisions to make, but our crews searched for nearly 24 hours without any sightings of the missing person," said Coast Guard Capt. Jordan Baldueza. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this very tragic event."

The search effort covered 100 square miles and lasted 22 hours before officials made the call.

Martins Beach has been the site of an ongoing legal battle over public access stemming from the 2008 purchase of 53 acres of adjacent property by Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla.