COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The family of a Georgia State University student is grieving after a dive team recovered his body at Little River Falls in Alabama.
Authorities at Little River Canyon National Preserve said a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman from Cobb County were swimming in swift waters in the pool beneath Little River Falls.
Both swimmers were caught up in the current. While the woman escaped, the man did not, authorities said.
Family members identified the victim as Dustin Arroyo.
“Oh my God. It was the worst day of my life,” said Miguel Arroyo, Dustin’s father. “It was like a nightmare waiting every minute for him to be found.”
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Miguel Arroyo and his wife, Adela Garcia, were in Kennesaw when they got the phone call that their son was missing. They rushed to Alabama.
Search and rescue teams found Dustin Arroyo’s body last Thursday, two days after he was swept away. National park rangers said powerful river flows from recent storms and low visibility made it difficult.
“We were hoping that he would be found alive close to the river or lost in the woods,” said Miguel Arroyo.
Cell phone video and pictures given to Channel 2’s Chris Jose show some of the last images of Dustin Arroyo before swift waters pulled him away.
“Dustin’s passing will not be in vain,” said Maribel Arroyo-Sanchez, Dustin’s aunt. “I just saw one sign that said, ‘Don’t be the next victim.’ I don’t see danger. No swimming. This is a rough time. I want to see more signs to prevent more tragedies.”
Dustin Arroyo is a graduate of Kennesaw Mountain High School. He just finished his freshman year at Georgia State.
He balanced his schoolwork while working at his family’s restaurant, El Taco Azteca in downtown Kennesaw.
“I don’t want to remember him with pain,” said Miguel Arroyo. “I want to remember him with joy and happiness.”
The Arroyo family is finalizing funeral plans. They set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for it.