SEGUIN, Texas -- The worst was confirmed Monday morning for the friends and family of a man who went missing Sunday while tubing in the Guadalupe River.
The man, 35-year-old Rogelio Rodriguez, went under just before 6:00 p.m. Sunday night near FM 1117 in Seguin. Rescue crews were called after Rodriguez and several others got caught up in the current.
"It was a domino affect," explained Guadalupe County Sheriff's Investigator Zach McBride. "One person got caught in the current. another tried to save him. Mr. Rodriguez tried to throw a tube to get to him. He got caught in the water, and he just went under, and they didn't see him after that."
Rescue teams searched for Rodriguez for hours Sunday before calling off the search. The search resumed early Monday, and divers found his body not far from where he was last seen.
"We're just glad we finally have the closure. We found his body," said Gina Gonzalez, whose mother was married to Rodriguez.
Gina was in the water and got caught in the current too.
"We held on as long as we could, you know," Gonzalez said. "Our hands were numb. We were out there just waiting for them to come."
As she waited, she saw Rodriguez go under.
"We kind of figured that it had to have been kind of a whirlpool, or something like that. Because he disappeared so fast," said Gonzalez. "Like, even if you don't know how to swim, you'll see a splash. You'll see something. There was nothing. His mouth never came up from the water."
