{"id":1703,"date":"2026-07-23T16:58:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/?p=1703"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:59:45","slug":"ohio-pastor-captures-haunting-last-photo-of-friends-fishing-moments-before-they-drowned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/2026\/07\/ohio-pastor-captures-haunting-last-photo-of-friends-fishing-moments-before-they-drowned\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio Pastor Captures Haunting ‘Last Photo’ of 5 Friends Fishing Moments Before They Drowned"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shutterstock.com | Inset: Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A haunting photograph may have captured the final moments of five friends before a day of fishing on Ohio\u2019s Scioto River ended in an unimaginable tragedy.<\/p>\n

The five adults \u2014 including two married couples \u2014 drowned Sunday after what authorities believe began when one person entered the water and started struggling. The others reportedly went in one by one in an attempt to save their friends. None made it back to shore.<\/p>\n

Baptist pastor Marcus L. Martin, who has boated along the river for about 10 years, photographed the group earlier that day as they stood fishing in waist-deep water.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the picture I took may have been the last picture of them being alive,\u201d Martin told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Martin said he immediately felt uneasy when he saw the group because he knew that stretch of the river could be dangerous, with steep underwater slopes and sudden drop-offs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember being taught that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Martin considered warning the group but worried that maneuvering his boat around several other vessels could create dangerous waves. He later said he has struggled with that decision since learning what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what it was. I said, I just need to capture this picture,\u201d Martin recalled of taking the photograph.<\/p>\n

The tragedy came to authorities\u2019 attention around 9 p.m., when a motorist spotted a distraught child running near the river and called 911. The child reportedly said his \u201cfamily was in the river.\u201d Another young boy, wrapped in a towel, could be heard crying out for his mother.<\/p>\n

First responders recovered two women from the river and transported them to hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. The bodies of three men were recovered the following day.<\/p>\n

Honduran officials later confirmed that four of the five victims were Honduran nationals.<\/p>\n

Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, and his wife, Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28, were identified as one of the married couples. Their two children were reportedly at the scene and are now in the care of the state of Ohio as officials work to reunite them with relatives in Honduras.<\/p>\n

The second couple was identified as Miguel \u00c1ngel Guerra and Carmen Idalia Lara Ferrera, both 33. They leave behind a 7-year-old daughter, according to a fundraiser created for their loved ones.<\/p>\n

Honduran officials are working with U.S. authorities to return the victims\u2019 bodies to Honduras and assist the surviving children. The fifth victim\u2019s identity had not yet been publicly released pending notification of family.<\/p>\n

The drownings remain under investigation. The Scioto River was reportedly running unusually high and fast Sunday, with water flowing at more than twice its average rate.<\/p>\n

What appears to have begun as a peaceful afternoon among friends ended with five people making desperate attempts to save one another. Now, families in Ohio and Honduras are grieving, and three children face life without their parents.<\/p>\n

Prayer: Lord, comfort the children and families grieving this heartbreaking loss. Surround them with loving people, give them strength for the days ahead, and bring them peace in the midst of unimaginable sorrow. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A haunting photograph may have captured the final moments of five friends before a day of fishing on Ohio\u2019s Scioto River ended in an unimaginable tragedy. The five adults \u2014 including two married couples \u2014 drowned Sunday after what authorities believe began when one person entered the water and started struggling. The others reportedly went…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":1706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nOhio Pastor Captures Haunting 'Last Photo' of 5 Friends Fishing Moments Before They Drowned<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An Ohio pastor may have captured the last photo of five friends before they drowned in the Scioto River while trying to save one another.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/2026\/07\/ohio-pastor-captures-haunting-last-photo-of-friends-fishing-moments-before-they-drowned\/\" 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