BRINNON — The body of a 34-year-old Oakville man was found early Thursday afternoon at the mouth of the Duckabush River, about 3.5 miles downriver from where he drowned Saturday at Ranger Hole.
The body of Jesse Cruz was recovered at about 12:30 p.m.by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and coroner, along with the Brinnon fire district. Cruz's body was transported to a funeral home in Port Townsend, said Mason County resident Nicholas Stone, a friend of Cruz’s who witnessed the drowning after attempting to save Cruz from the fast-moving river waters late Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a relief for the family,” Stone said.
The Cruz family had set up a Facebook and gofundme.com pages to help locate the man’s body.
What was intended as a day of hiking up the Duckabush quickly shifted to tragedy Saturday.
Cruz, who was known as a strong swimmer, jumped off a rock in to the river Saturday along with his girlfriend, Leticia “Tish” Newby of Centralia, according to Stone.
Stone said Newby got caught in a whirlpool on the river and Cruz helped get her to safety before Cruz drowned.
Others, including Stone, jumped into the icy waters in an attempt to save Newby. Stone and other friends managed to pull one other friend out before unsuccessfully attempting to save Cruz.
“He saved Tish’s life,” Stone said of Cruz. “We’re lucky we all didn’t go down. It was very close to all of us being swept away.”
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SHELTON — Mason Lake Road-area resident Nicholas "Nic" Stone wants to find the body of his friend who drowned and went missing in the fast-flowing waters of the Duckabush River early Saturday night.
Facebook and "Find Jesse Cruz" gofundme.com pages have been set up to help find the body of Jesse Cruz, 34, from Oakville. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also conducted a search but as of Wednesday Cruz’s body had not been found.
Stone said Cruz, before he drowned and and was swept away by the river, saved the life of another swimmer, Leticia “Tish” Newby of Centralia, who was Cruz’s girlfriend.
“He saved Tish’s life,” Stone said of Cruz. “We’re lucky we all didn’t go down. It was very close to all of us being swept away.”
Stone recalled that at about 5 p.m. Saturday he was hiking up the Duckabush River about 3.5 miles west of U.S. Highway 101 at Ranger Hole. Cruz, who had a reputation for being a strong swimmer jumped off a rock into the river. He was joined by Newby, but she got caught in the whirlpool in bone-chilling water, Stone said.
Others hiking with the group, Ryan Ward of Olympia and his friend, Tiffany Morris, also jumped in to the water with Stone to try to rescue Newby.
“Jesse was around the corner and he kicked (Newby) out in the current,” Stone said. “She drifted into another cove and I grabbed onto her.”
Ward was in the water nearby and was also in jeopardy, Stone said.
Stone said they all linked arms in a daisy chain while he used a six-foot log extended toward Ward, who grabbed onto it and was pulled to safety.
“After we got Tish out of the water I ran back and Jesse wasn’t there,” Stone said, adding that his friend apparently sank into the river and drowned.
“He was last seen floating on his back in Ranger Hole,” Stone said.
