A family is grieving after a La Mesa mother drowned while swimming in Lake Havasu.
ABC 10News sat down with Barbara Tiefel and Alison Marin, the daughters of Cynthia Marin. They say their family is now searching for answers following their mother’s sudden and tragic passing.
“My mom was just…I call her a firecracker. Because whenever she walked into a room, she made friends immediately,” said Barbara.
“It didn’t matter how you looked, who you were, what you did…she just wanted to love everyone,” added Alison.
The daughters described their mom as a brave and driven women who grew up in Costa Rica but came to San Diego in her 20s to start a new life.
“She just had this style about her and this confidence that she carried in her body language and in her soul,” said Barbara. “She never stopped working for my sister and my brother and I.”
The daughters say their mom was out on a boat with friends in Lake Havasu and jumped in.
“We’re not sure if it was a medical emergency…but something changed in her body language and she started floundering and went under the water,” said Barbara.
Barbara added her mom as a lifelong swimmer, so their family is struggling to make sense of what happened, and how quickly it happened. They say she went underwater before her friends could help her.
Rescue crews ultimately recovered her body 42 feet below the lake’s surface, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Dept.
The family says they are now waiting on the results of an autopsy and an investigation for more answers.
“Nothing will heal the pain of losing her but at least knowing this is what happened, will give us a little more peace of mind.”
A GoFundMe has been startedto help the family bring their mother back home to San Diego.
