COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Marcus L. Martin felt instant trepidation Sunday when he saw five adults wading thigh- and waist-deep in the Scioto River. A frequent boater on the Ohio waterway, the Baptist pastor knew the area where they were standing to be treacherous. He believes the people he captured in a photo to be the ill-fated group that drowned that day.
“I just remember being taught that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes” and a quick drop-off into the river, he told The Associated Press. A few years earlier, Martin had warned a pair of young people playing in the water at that same spot to “be very careful.”
He saw five adults in the water and two children playing on the grassy bank nearby, tracking the description of the group provided by Delaware County authorities after the drownings.
Pastor may have taken ‘the last picture’ of the group
Martin and his family floated away to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. But when they returned past the spot about two hours later and saw the group still wading in the river, Martin thought to snap a photo.
“I don’t know what it was. I said, I just need to capture this picture,” he said.
Martin said he knows the area well from 10 years of boating there and considered warning the people of the potential danger. But, unlike when he’d warned the two people earlier, there were two or three boats between him and them and he didn’t want to cross between them and cause too many waves in the water.
He’s been losing sleep over the decision since news broke of five people drowning that afternoon. It feels “surreal,” he said.
“I believe the picture I took may have been the last picture of them being alive,” he said.
The image didn’t catch authorities’ initial interest
Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has said authorities believe one of the adults began struggling to swim and the others successively went to that person’s aid. All five were swept under and died. The two women’s bodies were recovered Sunday and the three other bodies a day later.
Neither Balzer’s office nor the local EMS agency immediately responded to requests for verification of the photo and those who appear in it.
Martin said he feels certain the group he photographed is of the five people who perished Sunday; it’s rare to see people fishing or swimming in that stretch of the river. He said he attempted to share the picture with both law enforcement and a news reporter at the scene the day after the drownings, but no one seemed interested.
Honduran authorities confirmed Tuesday that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens. One was Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, another his wife Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28. The names of the other couple and the fifth individual would be released once their families could be notified of their deaths, a spokesperson for Balzer said Wednesday.
U.S., Honduras still working to identify victims, help children
A Honduran embassy said the government is in contact with the victims’ families and assisting local authorities in verifying their identities. In a statement, it added that Honduras stands ready to repatriate any of the victims should relatives request that — a process that could take six weeks.
An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, children of one of the couples, were orphaned by the tragedy. A boy shouting for his mother was spotted by a passing driver on the day of the accident and reported to 911.
Scott Varner, a spokesman for Franklin County Children Services, said the youngsters have been in the agency’s care since Monday and that they are working with relatives and family friends in Columbus who are providing them with a temporary home. The children were provided with therapy dogs as they coped with the trauma, he said.
The Honduran embassy statement said the consulate has checked in with family members about their well-being and stands ready to help once relatives make a decision on next steps for the children.
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