Search suspended for missing Army specialist swept out to sea near Big Sur
By Felix Cortez
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MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KSBW) — The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has suspended its search efforts for Army Specialist Amanpreet Thind, who was swept out to sea Saturday afternoon at Soberanes Point near Garrapata State Park, after four days of searching from the air, water, and along the rugged Big Sur coast.
Despite the suspension, resources will remain on standby should there be any sign of the missing man.
Volunteer diver Juan Heredia, from the non-profit Angels Recovery Dive Team, is determined to continue searching until Thind is found.
Thind, a 35-year-old DLI student, leaves behind a wife and was last seen with his nephew.
Heredia said, “They only think about getting him back. They already pass that stage that, okay, he’s dead, now they’re in that stage that I want closure, I want my brother, I want my husband back, I’m diving for that reason to bring that closure to the family.”
Heredia joined county and state dive teams as they entered the water for only the second time since Thind was swept off rocks into the ocean.
“He will be recovered, he will be. Yeah, that’s for sure. I’m going to say tomorrow and dive again, and coming back Friday again. And if I have to come Saturday and Sunday, I will be here. He will be found for sure,” Heredia said.
Heredia previously located the body of a 7-year-old Canadian girl who was swept out to sea just a week earlier near the same area. The girl’s father also drowned.
As vacationers arrive for the holiday weekend, there is a warning to beachgoers to respect the ocean, not turn their back on it, and obey all signs and warnings.
A concerned mother, Connie Riley, advised, “Everywhere we go, every sign that says don’t go there, you don’t go there, you don’t go in the rocks. You don’t go where there’s danger because there’s just too much risk. You think you’re going to be okay. It looks okay. And then they get wet and you fall.”
The family of Thind will continue to search from the shore at Garrapata State Park, while Heredia plans to dive as long as water conditions allow.
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