2-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Family’s Car Got Swept Away by California Floodwaters

A 2-year-old boy who got separated from his father during California floods has been found dead.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, at around 7:14 p.m. local time, police and fire teams responded after reports that Brandon Padilla Aguilera, 26, and his son, Xavier, 2, had become separated. The pair had been trying to cross a flooded section of Main Street when their vehicle was “swept off the roadway by floodwaters,” the City of Barstow said in a news release shared on Facebook.

“Brandon was located on an island that had been created by the floodwaters,” the release said. “[He] was rescued by Barstow Fire Department personnel, taken to Barstow Community Hospital and later released.”

After about 20 hours of searching, Xavier was found dead on Friday, Sept. 19. His body was discovered around 2:44 p.m. in the San Bernardino County Flood Control channel south of the Mojave River.

Brandon had been driving home with Xavier after attending his grandmother’s funeral when the flood swept them away, his mother, Carolyn Tackett, told ABC7 Los Angeles.

“My son’s car ended up [with] the bumpers down here under the bridge. My son tried to get out of the car, he doesn’t know how to swim, he got my grandson out [and] my son went under,” she said.

Brandon’s family said his condition is still unstable. When rescued, he had water in his lungs and “cuts and bruises all over his arms and legs,” along with an infection from the water, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

NBC Los Angeles reported that 150 teams took part in the search. They included the Barstow Fire Protection District, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire’s Swift Water Rescue Team, and volunteers.

The floods followed thunderstorms from Tropical Storm Mario and washed out part of State Route 38 in the San Bernardino Mountains, leaving vehicles stranded and causing mudslides, NBC News reported, citing the California Department of Transportation.

“Our thoughts remain with the family and all those affected by this tragic event,” the City of Barstow said in their news release.