Woman, daughter swept away by wave in Los Cabos
http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/dailystar/85135.php
Tucson family's Mexico vacation turns deadly; spouse, son survive
By Kim Smith, Alexis Huicochea and Carmen Duarte
July 21, 2005
A Tucson woman and her daughter died Tuesday night when a giant wave swept three members of a family off a beach while they were vacationing in
Mexico, officials said.
The woman's husband rescued their son from the water. But by the time he pulled his son to the shore, his wife and daughter had disappeared in the
storm-churned ocean near Cabo San Lucas, on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
The bodies of Kathy Martinez, 40, a Pima County probation officer, and daughter, Victoria, 5, were recovered Wednesday by search teams.
Wayne Martinez, 45, a Tucson police officer, and son David survived the ordeal.
The Martinez family was walking along the beach Tuesday night in front of Hotel La Joya in San Jos? del Cabo where they were staying, said Paul Perez
Castro, an official with the Department of Public Safety and Transit Police in Cabo San Lucas.
Wayne Martinez, a burglary unit detective, stopped to take his family's photo when a wave swept away his wife, daughter and son - who is about 6 years
old, said Pima County Superior Court spokesman David Ricker.
Tropical Storm Eugene, which was moving far off the tip of Baja California, produced a dangerous storm surge on the beach, Perez Castro said.
"It was about 8:30 at night and they didn't realize that the effects of Eugene were coming in," Perez Castro said. "The storm did not hit, but the
tide was rising and the waves were getting bigger."
Perez Castro said the wave that swept the family from the beach was estimated to be about 20 feet tall.
"A huge wave came in and pulled them in the ocean. Wayne rescued his son and put him back on the beach. But when he went back into the water, he did
not see his wife and daughter again," Perez Castro said.
Rough seas made it impossible for a search party to begin looking for the mother and daughter Tuesday night.
At about 5 a.m. Wednesday, a search party of about 40 law enforcement agencies and Hotel La Joya security, went out in boats to search, he said.
The bodies of Kathy and Victoria Martinez were found Wednesday in the ocean, he said. Perez Castro said he did not have details about how far out the
bodies were.
The U.S. Consulate in Cabo San Lucas is assisting Wayne Martinez in bringing his wife and daughter back to Tucson, Perez Castro said.
"Hard-working, ethical"
Kathy Martinez became a probation officer with the county in 1998 and recently transferred to the sex offender unit, Ricker said.
The mood within the probation office was somber Wednesday afternoon as word spread about the tragedy.
"Kathy was a hard-working, ethical, generous human being," said co-worker Suzanne Reeves. "She was the kind of person that most people wish they could
be like. Everyone says nice things when someone passes away, but they're really true about her."
Reeves said others in the office described Kathy Martinez as a genuinely caring probation officer who took a holistic approach to her job, paying a
great amount of attention to the probationer's family.
She supervised between 50 and 60 sex offenders on the Northwest Side, Reeves said.
"It's an unbelievable loss to everyone who knew her and to the community," Reeves said. "She felt the work of a probation officer was important to the
community and she was making a difference in a positive way, by having a good influence on the people she was supervising and protecting the
community."
In keeping with her desire to keep the community safe, Kathy Martinez was also a member of Operation Spotlight, a multi-agency task force that worked
to reduce crime on the city's South Side, Reeves said.
Neighbors were also saddened to hear about Kathy and Victoria's death Wednesday.
"They were such a beautiful family," said Cecilia Preciado, who lives next door. "I don't know what they are going to do without those two."
Preciado's granddaughter, 5-year-old Valeria Coronado, was best friends with Victoria.
Her mother and grandmother comforted her as she cried when told of Victoria's death.
The two girls had known each other since they were only a few months old, Valeria's mom, Maria Coronado, said.
"It is just such a tragedy," she said. "She was such a nice person and Victoria was a good girl. She would come over to play with Valeria everyday
,and when they would see each other they would hug."
According to Maria Coronado, the family left one week ago and were to return in three weeks.
Kathy Martinez was known to love the ocean and lighthouses, Reeves said.
"Her kids were the most important thing in her life and she took unquestionably the best care of those kids," Reeves said.
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