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A fishing expedition turned tragic in Ohio after five members of a family drowned in a river, according to authorities. On July 19, 2026, a search and rescue effort was conducted by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office near the Scioto River. The location is near Area L along the Scioto River/O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, 18 miles of shoreline owned by the city of Columbus north of the city.
Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said that his team was alerted after a motorist noticed a “clearly distraught” child running along the state highway near the river wearing only a towel. “The child said that his family was in the river,” Balzer said during a press briefing on July 20, 2026, ABC News reported. He was screaming, “Mama! Mama!”
The motorist spoke to the child and then called 911. First responders pulled two women from the river and transported them to a local hospital. They were pronounced dead. Authorities continued searching for three men also believed to have drowned in the river. Their bodies were recovered a day later on July 20, according to Delaware County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tracy Whited.
Multiple agencies responded, including Ohio DNR, Columbus police, six fire departments, and five police departments from surrounding townships. Whited added that the group went fishing at the river in Powell, north of Columbus, when the tragedy unfolded. One of the individuals is believed to have gone swimming and began drowning. Two others then jumped in to help the individual, but they also began to struggle in the water.
“That’s when the tragedy started to occur,” Whited said. The remaining two tried to rescue the group, but drowned as well. A photo snapped by a passing boater sometime earlier in the day showed the family apparently about thigh deep in water. Authorities said that two sets of parents are believed to be part of the group. One of the deceased is believed to be the person who was initially struggling in the river, according to Whited. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
The Scioto River carries strong currents, variable depths, rocks, branches, and slippery algae that can trap swimmers. Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, and his wife Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28, have been named as two of the victims, ABC News reported. Two children under the age of 10 who were with the group have been placed in the care of family services, according to Balzer. Four of the five victims were Honduran citizens. The remaining victims are yet to be identified. Honduras’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it was working with U.S. authorities to repatriate the bodies, a process expected to take at least a month.
An Accuweather report stated that the river’s flow had nearly doubled in 24 hours — rising from 188 to 400 cubic feet per second — creating deceptively fast-moving conditions. Swimming and wading are prohibited in Columbus city reservoirs, including O’Shaughnessy, though enforcement at the riverbank is limited. A GoFundMe launched by a relative, Brenda Raya, cited an “overwhelming” emotional and financial burden, seeking funds for funerals, transportation, and childcare. “We want to honor the memory of our loved ones while providing for the children left behind,” she wrote.
