Body of Oakland man found in water near Rio Vista

The body of an Oakland man who went missing last week was located in the water near Rio Vista early Sunday morning.

Carlos Estevez, 20, was swimming with some relatives and friends along Sandy Beach when he jumped from the dock and into the water.

Estevez was unable to get out of the water on his own accord, prompting several bystanders to jump in the water after him. None of them were wearing life jackets, according to Marcos Santos, an eyewitness who riding a jet ski at the time.

Santos offered his own life jackets to several people who went into the water after Estevez, but by the time they were rescued, the Oakland man was nowhere to be seen.

"When I've arrived at the scene, Carlos was already deep down in the water," Santos, a resident of San Francisco, told Solano NewsNet by text message last week.

Santos provided video footage shot by an eyewitness on the pier that showed him rescuing the three people from the water. Several of them could be heard screaming for help by the time Santos arrived.

"The family was trying to reach him, but they were drowning as well, so I was able to help three of them with life vests," he said.

Fire paramedics reached the dock a short time later and provided medical attention to the three rescued from the water. By that, Estevez was nowhere to be seen.

A lengthy, multi-day search for Estevez was carried out by the Solano County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Coast Guard and various fire crews until Sunday when his body was recovered from the water.

Estevez is the latest drowning victim to be claimed by the water in Solano County. Last month, three men drowned while attempting to save a child in the same water near Rio Vista. The child was not harmed.

In rural Vacaville, rescue workers carried out a week-long search-and-recovery mission for 18-year-old Eduardo Fierros after his pick-up truck veered off Putah Creek Road and went into the water. An 18-year-old associate was rescued by first responders immediately after the crash.

Along the Solano-Napa County line, several people have drowned at Lake Berryessa this year, including a Fairfield teenager who was celebrating his girlfriend's birthday just a few days after a baseball tournament.

Local emergency officials say the drownings are a stark reminder that people should not swim in unfamiliar water and should wear life vests at all times. Free life vests are available to use at many Solano County water destinations.