Filipino American camper swept away in California river found dead

LOS ANGELES – The body of missing Filipino American James Bawayan was found several days after he jumped into the Kern River in San Joaquin Valley in California, authorities have announced.

The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the body that Search and Rescue volunteers and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office found near Hobo Campground. An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death.

Bawayan. 36, jumped into the Kern River during a weekend getaway with family and friends earlier this month.

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Bawayan’s cousin Karla Bacayan told ABC7 the family was at a camping spot they had been returning to for the past four years.

“This has been a spot they’ve been coming to yearly,” said Bacayan. “They have a designated area they always go to.”

Bawayan, who was from Chino Hills, California, jumped from a rock into the river near Black Gulch on July 12, according to reports.

“He has done this multiple times, and the current always took him back to the campsite lagoon,” Bacayan said. “Unfortunately, this time the current took him under.”

Family, friends and co-workers traveled to the area to join the search-and-rescue operation, which shifted to a recovery mission as several days passed with no sign of Bawayan.

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has issued an advisory reminding the public that river conditions can be extremely dangerous during the summer months.

Over the last five years, there have been seven Kern River deaths a year, Sgt. Rodney Jones, who is in charge of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue division, told SJV Water. “If you look at the numbers over 10 years, the average was about six a year. So, we’re getting worse.”

The Kern River is a scenic river located in the Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield, California. Approximately 165 miles long, it is fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney.

The river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and kayaking.

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