Father and two young sons die after canoe flips on lake, Washington rescuers say

Update: The bodies of the father and his 6-year-old son were found Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The coroner’s office identified the family as Miguel Porfirio De Dios, 31, Oliver Porfirio Maldonado, 6, and William Porfirio Maldonado, 8.

The original article continues below:

A 6-year-old boy and his father remain missing after the child’s 8-year-old brother died following a canoe accident, Washington rescuers reported.

A 10-year-old boy who swam to shore after their canoe capsized on a Columbia National Wildlife Refuge lake Friday, Nov. 11, survived, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The 32-year-old father and his three sons from Othello had been on a family fishing trip near Warden when the accident occurred just before nightfall, officials said.

Family members on shore began a search after the canoe failed to return and found the 10-year-old boy just before 11 p.m., the release said. They called 911.

Searchers found the 8-year-old’s body but a search for his father and younger brother continues, sheriff’s officials said Saturday night, Nov. 12.

“We are crestfallen that the family and Othello community have suffered such a painful loss,” officials said. “We really want to find this father and his son so they can return to their family.”

The 10-year-old was hospitalized for hypothermia, the release said.

The search was scheduled to continue Sunday, Nov. 13.

Warden is a city of 2,700 people about 100 miles southwest of Spokane.

This story was originally published November 13, 2022 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Father and two young sons die after canoe flips on lake, Washington rescuers say."