Children who drowned in Kings River identified by Fresno County coroner. They were 4 and 8

The children who drowned in the Kings River during the weekend were identified Tuesday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.

Brother and sister Santiago, 4, and Victoria Barajas, 8, of Fresno were washed away in the cold and fast-moving waters of the Kings River on Sunday, the Fresno County Coroner’s Office confirmed.

The children were in the water with their mother and an adult friend about 2 p.m. Sunday about a mile below Pine Flat Dam as they headed to a specific rock, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

The current pulled the children away before family called 911. The girl’s body was found less than an hour later about one-fifth of a mile downstream from where they entered, deputies said.

The boy was not found until the next morning about 1.75 miles downstream, deputies said. The search had been suspended Sunday night because of the lack of visibility and the speed of the water.

Neither child was wearing a life jacket, the sheriff’s office said.

This was the first major incident on the river since it was closed to recreational users in March and there continues to be no timeline for reopening. Officials placed closure signs along the waterways and the rivers are being patrolled for violations, which start with a minimum fine of $250, officials said.

Fresno County Sheriff’s Sgt. Matthew Hamilton spoke with media after the boy was found on Monday. “The river’s closed for a reason; the parks are closed for a reason. It’s because it is extremely dangerous,” he said.

In Tulare County, two people have reportedly drowned this month, one in the Tule River and one in the Kaweah River.