TWO BROTHERS FOUND DEAD IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RIVER AFTER MAN WAS SEEN STRUGGLING IN THE WATER

WILLOW CREEK, Calif. — A family is mourning the sudden loss of two brothers after their bodies were discovered in a Northern California river following a report that a man had been seen struggling in the water.

Lex Rincon, 45, of Arcata, California, and his younger brother, Krishna “Ganesh” Rincon, 18, of New York, were found in the Trinity River near Tagmeyer Beach in Willow Creek on Aug. 19, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The circumstances surrounding the brothers’ deaths remain under investigation.

SEARCH BEGAN AFTER A MAN WAS SEEN STRUGGLING

Deputies were called to Tagmeyer Beach at approximately 10:14 a.m. on Aug. 19 after receiving a report about a man who had been seen struggling to swim in the Trinity River the previous day.

When authorities arrived, they discovered that the man’s vehicle was still parked nearby.

That immediately prompted a search of the river and surrounding riverbank.

What investigators ultimately discovered was far more heartbreaking.

Two bodies were located in the water.

They were later identified as the Rincon brothers.

INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED

Authorities have not yet established exactly how the brothers ended up in the river or what occurred immediately before their deaths.

According to police, the circumstances appear consistent with drowning, but the official cause and manner of death remain pending.

Autopsies were scheduled for later this week and are expected to provide investigators with additional information.

At this stage, authorities have not publicly indicated that the deaths were the result of criminal activity.

LEX WAS REMEMBERED AS KIND AND CREATIVE

Friends remembered Lex as someone who brought warmth and humor into the lives of those around him.

A fundraiser established for the family described the 45-year-old as kind, determined, creative and funny.

The fundraiser also highlighted the bond between the brothers, describing Ganesh as gentle and curious.

Their sudden deaths have left friends and relatives struggling to process the loss.

THE FAMILY IS FACING AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Because Ganesh was from New York, the tragedy has created an additional challenge for the family.

A GoFundMe campaign was established to help relatives travel from New York to Humboldt County to mourn the brothers and make arrangements.

The fundraiser had collected more than $14,600 according to the latest report.

The organizers described the deaths as an “unexpected” and devastating loss for everyone who knew the brothers.

QUESTIONS REMAIN

For now, investigators are waiting for the medical examiner’s findings.

Among the questions authorities still need to answer are:

What happened before the brothers entered the river?

Why was one of them reportedly seen struggling in the water?

How did both brothers end up in the Trinity River?

And perhaps most importantly, could anything have prevented the tragedy?

Those answers may become clearer once autopsy results and additional evidence are reviewed.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has extended its condolences to the Rincon family’s relatives, friends and loved ones.

For a family now separated from two brothers in the most heartbreaking way, the investigation offers one hope: that the remaining unanswered questions can eventually be resolved.

Two brothers went to the Trinity River. A desperate report of someone struggling in the water launched a search. Then rescuers found two bodies.

Now, investigators are working to reconstruct the final moments of Lex and Krishna “Ganesh” Rincon — while their family tries to make sense of a devastating loss that came without warning