Floridalma Arceno 45 years old, Dinora Gomez 19 years old and Ana Sofia 2 years old, have been identified by the family as those that perished in the Seekonk River in Pawtucket Rhode Island. Their bodies have been recovered and their vehicle was located yesterday morning after an intensive effort by first responders.
Here is the timeline: at approximately 7:30 p.m. on June 28th, the Pawtucket Police Department and Pawtucket Fire Department responded to the Taft Street boat ramp area following reports that an occupied vehicle had entered the water.
According to witnesses at the scene, a Toyota RAV4 accidentally drove off the boat ramp, floated downstream for a short distance, and subsequently became fully submerged. Witnesses, along with a nearby jet ski operator, attempted to assist the occupants but were unable to gain access to the vehicle before it sank.
Emergency responders encountered significant challenges due to the river’s extremely poor visibility. Officials reported that the water conditions provided virtually no underwater visibility, making it impossible to locate the submerged vehicle from the surface.
Initial information gathered at the scene indicated that a Spanish-speaking male, identified as the husband of one of the occupants, reported that three individuals were inside the vehicle at the time it entered the water. The man briefly lost consciousness after speaking with officers before regaining consciousness. The husband reported that his daughter had been practicing driving in the parking lot when the vehicle accidentally entered the water. He stated that he was not present during the incident and had arrived after being notified by phone.
Pawtucket Fire Department deployed a rescue raft while Pawtucket Police utilized a drone to assist in locating the submerged vehicle. Additional mutual aid resources were requested from surrounding communities. The North Providence Police Department responded with a Spanish-speaking officer to provide official translation assistance, while the Pawtucket Police Department also recalled one of its Spanish-speaking officers to assist detectives.
As the incident continued to develop, multiple fire departments, dive teams, marine units, and specialized rescue personnel responded to the scene. Pawtucket detectives, command staff from both the Pawtucket Police and Fire Departments, and the Rhode Island State Police were also present.
Search efforts remained ongoing as crews worked to locate the submerged vehicle. Divers faced extremely hazardous conditions due to zero underwater visibility and continued utilizing boats, drones, specialized lighting, probing equipment, and coordinated dive operations in an effort to locate the vehicle and its occupants.
Police are investigating how the car ended up in the water, but said it’s believed at this time to be a tragic accident. There are no indications of foul play, police said, and the vehicle appeared to be in proper working order.
A go fund me has been started to help the family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-support-for-pawtucket-family-TaftSt-Tragedy
