The three men who died after jumping into the water of a California waterfall have been identified.
According to a series of statements posted on Facebook by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the three men died at Rattlesnake Falls after jumping into the water and failing to resurface on June 18.
On Wednesday, June 25, the sheriff’s office revealed the three victims’ identities to PEOPLE. They include one New Yorker, 44-year-old Matthew Anthony, and two Los Angeles residents, 50-year-old Matthew Schoenecker and 59-year-old Valentino Creus.
Schoenecker, a high school diving champion, “tried to help Valentino,” who was “in trouble” and “started panicking” in the water, according to Juan Heredia, a diver who discovered the bodies, for the Los Angeles Times. Anthony also jumped in to try to save Creus, Heredia explained. “But they could not and they drowned.”
Matt Meeks, who claimed to have been friends with Creus for 15 years, confirmed the account in a Facebook post on Monday, June 23. Creus, according to him, “died as he lived” thanks to “riding that river all the way to Heaven alongside his friends.”
Meeks remembered Creus, an accountant, as a spiritual man who spent his time “leading retreats, tutoring youth, mentoring men in their marriages and at work, and leading small group meetings.”
“He would always give advice,” Meeks wrote. “I did not realize it at the time, but he was both my spiritual and financial accountant. Most importantly, Val was a real friend.”
Meeks also provided a statement from members of the group that Creus, Schoenecker, and Anthony were with on the day of the incident.
According to Meeks, seven people began their day with a religious mass at 5:30 a.m. before heading out for a hike in Royal Gorge. One person turned back about a half hour into the hike after receiving a call about a “family matter.”
After about four hours, the group arrived at Rattlesnake Falls, which Schoenecker was familiar with. The group ate first before jumping into the water.
Creus began struggling after entering the water, so Schoenecker and Anthony pursued him, according to the statement. One member of the group stated that “he was surprised by the strength of the current,” and that Schoenecker “told him he had never seen a current like this.”
After a while, the other members of the group “saw no sign of the three in the water.” They then activated the SOS feature on one of their phones, and a helicopter arrived shortly after.
According to the statement, the helicopter departed shortly after arriving to retrieve a rescue team. It returned around 5:30 p.m., and all three passengers were flown to a base.
Rescuers were unable to locate the men on June 18, and their search was hampered by adverse wind and water conditions the following day, according to the statement.
Heredia found the men’s bodies on Saturday, June 21, according to a Facebook post.
The diver told the Times that Anthony was discovered about 45 feet in the waterfall pool that leads into the North Fork American River, while Schoenecker and Creus were discovered about 47 feet below the waterfall.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to their families, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement on Sunday, June 22.
