Overview
- Authorities say a 15–20 foot wave pulled the child into the ocean near Big Sur as her father tried to rescue her; both were swept away, the mother returned to shore, and an off-duty State Parks lifeguard pulled the father out before he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
- The mother is hospitalized in stable condition with mild hypothermia, and a 2-year-old sibling at the scene was unharmed.
- Search efforts paused Friday night because of weather and lighting, then restarted Saturday with helicopters and shoreline teams from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, State Parks, CAL FIRE, the U.S. Coast Guard, CHP and Naval Air Station Lemoore.
- Officials now say the missing girl was last seen wearing a white shirt, updating earlier reports that described a red shirt.
- The incident unfolded during a powerful Pacific storm producing dangerous surf, rip currents and cold 59°F water, and authorities asked drivers not to stop on Highway 1 near Garrapata State Beach to keep access clear for responders.