Missing Jet-Skier’s Body Found

After an all-night search by his family, a 31-year-old man who got lost at sea while riding a jet ski was found dead Sunday morning, floating near Rincon Point.

Wearing a safety vest and floating face down near the watercraft, the body of Salvador Murillo of Thousand Oaks was spotted by a Coast Guard helicopter about 12 miles north of where he was last seen Saturday, riding the waves with brothers and friends.

Whether he drowned or died of exposure or some other cause was not yet known.

Dozens of Murillo’s family members had spent the previous 17 hours walking the beaches from Oxnard to La Conchita, hoping to find him washed ashore but alive, while his brothers navigated the dark ocean in the family’s small powerboat.

They did not give up the search, because they knew that if he were alive, their developmentally disabled relative would be scared and unsure how to get home.

“It would be like leaving a child--a 12- or 13-year-old--out in the ocean, lost,” said Sylvia Isom, one of Murillo’s aunts.

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After getting word that Murillo’s body was located, family members--weary from the all-night search--attended noon Mass at St. Paschal Baylon Church in Thousand Oaks, where they are members. Later in the afternoon they gathered at the Murillo home near the church and mourned the loss of the upbeat, friendly man everyone called “Junior.”

“He was a good son and so happy all the time,” said his mother, Josefina Murillo. “I’m going to miss him--I can say no more.”

Murillo’s passion was jet-skiing, his family said, and despite his mental limitations was an experienced skier. He never rode unsupervised and always looked forward to when his brothers would take him out to the ocean.

“That was his biggest joy,” said Rick Murillo, one of two bothers who was with Salvador when he got lost.

Rick Murillo said he, Salvador Murillo, another brother and two friends were on four jet skis during Saturday’s outing. When they headed back to shore, Rick Murillo said, he frequently looked back to make sure Salvador--who was at the end of the pack--was keeping up. After what seemed like a few moments, Rick Murillo said, he looked again and his brother was gone.

When the group couldn’t find him, a report was filed with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department around 2:30 p.m., according to Rick Murillo. The Coast Guard began its search at 4:45 p.m. and continued until around 2 a.m. Sunday. The search resumed at daybreak, and Murillo’s body was found shortly after 7 a.m.

“We normally don’t search too late into the night because the probability of finding anything is so low,” said Brent Rahe, Coast Guard search-and-rescue controller. “We did multiple search patterns until we exhausted them, and figured there would be a better chance coming back at first light with fresh eyes and crew.”

Some Murillo family members were upset authorities did not search throughout the night. The Sheriff’s Department, which took the missing-person report and assisted the Coast Guard, stopped searching with its helicopter at 10:30 p.m.

“We called it off when it got too dark and foggy to continue the search,” said Sheriff’s Capt. Rod Thompson.

But for family members who went without sleep to comb the beaches by flashlight, the official rescue effort was not enough.

“I can’t understand why the search was stopped,” said Tony Betancourt, an uncle of Murillo. “We were all out there and the weather was not bad. If it was the mayor’s son, they would’ve just kept searching.”

The coroner’s office has not issued an official cause of death, pending an autopsy, but Coast Guard and sheriff’s authorities said they speculate Murillo may have succumbed to hypothermia.

More reason, the family said, that it was imperative to keep looking for Murillo throughout the night in case he was still alive as he drifted in the water.

“I know he must have suffered that length of time he was alive,” Betancourt said.

Thompson of the Sheriff’s Department said Murillo’s death could be attributed to many things.

“He could’ve been tossed off and hit his head wrong and drowned, or he could’ve been alive and the hypothermia got to him,” Thompson said. “We won’t know until an autopsy is finished.”

One mystery surrounding the disappearance is that Murillo’s body and jet ski were discovered so far north of where he was last seen, said Rahe of the Coast Guard.

Rahe said that although it would be normal for the jet ski to drift with the body, Murillo was found 12 miles to the north--which was against the current.

“The current is going the opposite way, so he had to have driven in that direction,” Rahe said.

Family members speculated, too, as to how this tragedy could happen when Murillo has used a jet ski many times before.

“The bottom line is that he must have gotten lost and just panicked--and unfortunately in that situation, he is unable to rationalize like you and I,” said Ed Castillo, another uncle.

As family members came together Sunday afternoon from throughout Thousand Oaks and as far as San Diego, they remembered a sweet, young man who always cared for others.

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“Even when you were in a bad mood, if he came up to talk to you, just his presence would make you feel better,” said Robert Arenas, a family friend who also jet-skied with Murillo on Saturday. “He was good-hearted.”

Murillo was a Thousand Oaks High School graduate. He lived with his parents and made spending money by mowing lawns for several neighbors. He was also mechanically adept, fixing things for family and friends.

Murillo did not drive, but rode his bicycle throughout Thousand Oaks and was recognized by many area storekeepers and police officers, with whom he would often strike up conversations.

“He trusted everybody and didn’t see any evil. He was very honest,” said his aunt Alicia Fournier. “You can call him mentally challenged, but he was smart in many ways. Everyone knew him and loved him. He was very decent. So pure and innocent, like a 31-year-old kid.”