MOSS LANDING, Calif. — The body of a 7-year-old boy was found in the ocean off central California days after his mother died in the same area, authorities said.
The woman was seen floating near Moss Landing after someone reported encountering a 3-year-old boy unattended on the beach in Monterey County.
The little boy said that his mother and brother were missing, sheriff's officials said.
The woman was pulled from the water and taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Searchers combed the shoreline and water for the woman's other son.
The sheriff's office said Saturday that the body of the missing 7-year-old boy was recovered by divers near Moss Landing's boat launch.
Her family identified the woman as Florencia Ramirez, 27, of Salinas and the missing boy as Edgar Espinoza, KION-TV reported.
Sheriff's investigators are not yet sure how the mother and son ended up in the water, but they speculated it's possible the boy began to drown and his mother went in to rescue him, succumbing herself, SFGate reported Sunday.
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