Parents Hospitalized, Son Killed, Daughter Presumed Dead In Human Smuggling Operation

DEL MAR, CA — Authorities and court documents have identified the victims of a fatal human-smuggling operation that left at least three people dead and several others injured off the coast of northern San Diego County.

A panga boat capsized Monday morning off the coast of Del Mar and washed ashore near Torrey Pines State Beach, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.

Emergency crews recovered three bodies on the beach in Del Mar, including the body of Prince Brijeshkumar Patel, a 14-year-old boy from India, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

His 10-year-old sister remained missing and was presumed dead, officials said. Their father is in a coma and their mother was also hospitalized.

The other two victims were identified as Marcos Lozada-Juarez, 18, and Gorgonio Placido-Diaz, 55, who were both Mexican nationals, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. All three victims drowned, the Medical Examiner's Office reported.

Four survivors, including the parents of the siblings, suffered minor to critical injuries and were taken to hospitals. Nine others were initially unaccounted for and led to a search for the missing migrants. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday night.

"The drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. "We are committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims, and to holding accountable any traffickers responsible for their deaths."

Five people were charged Tuesday in connection with the maritime human-smuggling event.

Mexican nationals Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna, 30, and Jesus Juan Rodriguez Leyva, 36, were arrested Monday at the beach and charged Tuesday with human smuggling resulting in death and bringing in migrants for financial gain.

On Monday night, Border Patrol agents in Chula Vista stopped two vehicles whose drivers were believed to be involved in the smuggling attempt. Agents arrested the drivers and found eight of the nine migrants missing from the boat, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The missing girl was not with the group.

Mexican nationals Melissa Jenelle Cota, 33, Gustavo Lara, 32, and Sergio Rojas-Fregosa, 31, were arrested and charged with transportation of undocumented migrants. Rojas-Fregoso had previously been deported on Dec. 19, 2023.