The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is taking action after a 16-year-old Porterville teen was swept away in the Tule River last week.
Public access is now closed until it’s deemed safe.
Family of Mikey Edes said he was hiking around “The Stairs” day use area when he fell into the water and has not surfaced since.
“Mikey, maybe the loss of his life saved someone else’s,” Valeria Moreno Mikey’s cousin said Tuesday.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office along with The Sequoia National Forest is temporarily closing public access to the waterway.
“The conditions right now are just so dangerous. Sheriff Boudreaux’s extremely concerned for public safety,” Ashley Ritchie media supervisor for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said.
Moreno said Mikey was with his mom and sister at a spot they’ve been many times. She said he jumped from a rock and came a little short of landing, falling into the river.
Moreno said he had a huge heart and just wanted to make people smile. “He loved life so much. He was an amazing artist. He had a great voice,” she said.
The family is now waiting to bring Mikey home.
“We still have deputies out there every single day. We will continue to have a deputy out there every day until that person is found,” Ritchie said.
Officials are keeping an eye on water levels and conditions and access to the river won’t be reopened until it’s deemed safe.
“Listen to the warning you know they tell people to be careful of these rivers and waterways for a reason. We have to respect them. Water is like fire, you can’t predict it and you can’t control it,” Moreno said.
The family is holding a fundraising bake sale over the weekend.
Town and Country Market
1310 W Olive Ave
Porterville, CA
GoFund me for funeral expenses:
You also make a check out to Michael Edes and deposit to any Bank of Sierra or donate to Webbs Funeral Home in Lindsay, CA.
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