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Recovery effort continues for Oxnard boy
Family says teen quiet, a worker
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Video: Missing near Mugu Rock
As rescue workers continue their search for a boy who was washed off the rocks near Mugu Rock, family members gathered nearby.
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Courtesy photo Victor Mendez Ortiz, who worked in the fields, was swept off cliffs near Mugu Rock on Saturday.
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Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff Marcelina Mendez and Marcelino Lopez mourn Victor Mendez Ortiz, 16, who was swept off cliffs below Mugu Rock by a wave Saturday. On Sunday, his family gathered near the point where he disappeared.
Victor Mendez Ortiz, who is believed to have drowned after he was hit by a rogue wave near Mugu Rock on Saturday, was a quiet, respectful teenager who loved basketball, salsa and his family, relatives said Sunday.
The family gathered near Point Mugu on Sunday, looking out on the rocky point where Mendez, 16, had been fishing when he was washed off the rocks.
"He was quiet," said his uncle, Reymundo Diaz, speaking in Spanish. "He liked to go to church. He didn't go dancing."
Search-and-rescue teams continued their recovery efforts Sunday, using helicopters along the coast. Searchers using binoculars also were posted on beaches.
The search could continue for two weeks, said Capt. Steve Giles of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.
"There's just no predicting how long it will take," he said. "It could take three days; it could be a year."
Fire officials got a call reporting the incident at 11:40 a.m. Saturday. By 1 p.m., they had called off the rescue attempt and shifted to recovering Mendez, who was described as a poor swimmer.
Mendez worked picking strawberries in local fields and did not attend school here, his uncle said.
He came to the U.S. two years ago with his parents, who have since returned to Mexico. He regularly sent money home to help his family, most recently $2,000, Diaz said.
Mendez lived in Oxnard with his older brother, Raul, 19, and younger sister, Veronica, 14, Diaz said. Two younger brothers live with their parents in Oaxaca, Mexico.
His parents have been told of the incident but cannot afford to come to the U.S., Diaz said.
The family speaks a Mixtecan dialect common in Oaxaca, and only a few members speak Spanish.
About 20,000 Mixtecs live in Ventura County, according to the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, a local organization. Many, like Mendez, work in the fields, picking strawberries, raspberries and flowers, according to the group.
Mendez loved the ocean and had been fishing Friday, his uncle said.
The site on Pacific Coast Highway is a popular spot for fishing, although it is gated on one side and fenced off on the other, said Ventura County Fire Capt. Alex Sanchez. "Although we lock it, it's a small deterrent," he said.
On Sunday, three people were on the rocks fishing. A young woman in a turquoise dress stood at the edge of the water, spreading her arms and dancing.
Young men were scrambling along the rocks before Sanchez ordered them off.
People need to be careful near the ocean, even when it appears peaceful, said Capt. Ross Bonfiglio of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.
"Even though the ocean could appear calm at one moment, unexpected large waves can come up at any time," he said. "People should err on the side of caution."
Posted by AnnaWhaat on January 14, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My Condolences to the family.......I pray that your brother is found soon .Words can not help the pain your suffering right now. But your in our prayers!
Posted by Hueneme_girl29 on January 14, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My prayers to the family, however, this is a very poorly written article? It is just me? What does this have to do w/ anything? "A young woman in a turquoise dress stood at the edge of the water, spreading her arms and dancing." .....Uhh....okay? Good to know.
Posted by Hueneme_girl29 on January 14, 2008 at 7:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
One more...this seems like maybe a languae barrier between the man and the newspaper.
""He liked to go to church. He didn't go dancing."
I dont mean to sound disrespectful, but what does dancinig have to do w/ anything? Hope they find him.
Posted by ebrockway on January 14, 2008 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok wait. He didn't go to school and worked full-time in the fields? Isn't there something of a child labor law violation there?
Well I hope they at least find his body, another young man who died in the ocean not long ago was missing for over a year.
Posted by jmcgaw3046 on January 14, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When will people learn that the ocean can kill, and climbing on the rock is not a great thing. Like the story says though even though this boy was washed off the rocks there are still those who will come and play on them. It also sund to me like he as an illegal who sent his money home, 16 years old working in the strawberry field, some thing is wrong here. Too bad he died, but he put him self where he was in danger. It happens several times a year some one gets washed off the rocks some place along the coast and then thousands of doller are spent trying to recover them or their body.
People learn stay off those rocks it is not a playground.
Posted by surfmedic91 on January 14, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ebrock, exactly. What prevents him from being required to be in school?
What a poorly written article that should have been reviewed before printing on something so tragic.
Posted by HLP on January 14, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My condolences go out to the family. I am praying and hoping that they find him and lay him to rest peacfully. He is in Gods hands and now he is up in heaven having a good time.
Pray becuase prayer works!!!!
Posted by lxgnzls on January 14, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
o well i bet he came here illegally. I have no empathy. If he was law abiding it wouldnt bother me as much. and how much did it cost us to send the search and rescue team? Thank you very much. He should have been in school if he was coming here instead of working. No sympathy from me.
Posted by dannygon5 on January 14, 2008 at 12:55 p.m.
(This thread was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by RC on January 14, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
“i bet he came here illegally. I have no empathy.” Does it really matter now? I think that is a very insensitive thing to say. He was a young human being that has probably passed on. And my prayers go out to him and his family.
Posted by latina79 on January 14, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Everyone once again throwing the race card into play. The poor kid lost his life fishing on a Saturday morning. God, people in this community only care/comment about if your legal or illegal, like that had something to do with him drowning??? To the family, I would like to say there are respectable people that are reading this article and are keeping your family in there prayers. I pray they find his body, and let the family lay him peacefully to rest.
Posted by thsomerville on January 14, 2008 at 3:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lxgnzls:
You should be ashamed of yourself! That is a horrible thing to say. A 16 year old human being is dead. They should make you go work in the strawberry fields for a day. I'd bet you'd have some empathy after that.
kerif:
I think the "no dancing" comment was meant to say that he was not a partier...translation issue.
Posted by UdontKnowMe on January 14, 2008 at 3:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Its real funny hearing that some ignorant individuals continue to blog their racial, or personally disrespectful comments on here. Lets just remember whose country this was before the these conniving people with false intentions wanted to take this land from the indigenous people that were here long before anyone else knew this land. This was supposed to be a land of Freedom and Equality. Go ahead and leave your cowardly remarks. What comes around goes around. I hope this young man is found. My condolences to his family.
Posted by drumsnwhistles on January 14, 2008 at 3:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am so sorry for his family's loss. He was obviously a good, hard-working kid. I'm also sorry that he wasn't in school, but was working in the fields instead. What a sad situation all around.
Posted by cholmes on January 14, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was down at Mugu on Sunday afternoon and couldn't believe how many people had showed up to support the search.
As for the dancing girl in the turquoise dressed that was mentioned in the article, I saw her and she got knocked over by a huge wave and almost swept away along with her camera man. People really need to learn to respect the ocean a bit more.
My condolences to the victims family.
Posted by nancy_4ever on January 14, 2008 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To the world of readers:
If you think child labor laws pertain to illegals you are living with your head stuck under a rock - maybe mugu rock.
This guy was a God fearing man who sent his family money, money for "their daily bread" which we have no concept of here in this land of plenty.
He is in heaven now, I am proud of him. You don't see many "legal citizens" working hard and giving their family money for bills.
Posted by drumsnwhistles on January 14, 2008 at 6:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think it's really awful that you all are turning a family's tragedy into a bash session about immigration.
When I see YOU out in the fields picking strawberries (back-breaking work, by the way) for minimum wage, then maybe I'll let you rant. Until then your bigoted mean-spirited remarks aren't worth the effort to read.
Posted by EagleEye on January 14, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jimminey Crickets, what kind of psyhchopath says he has no compassion over a dead boy, just because he came here illegally? I am for denying citizenship to all illegal aliens. That being said, this kid was a real class act. He traveled to another country and work to support his blood back home. This was an honorable human being and his death is a darned tragedy. I grieve for his parents after learning more about him. Think about how spoiled American kids are and here this kid is working for his family in the backbreaking strawberry fields. He died in the outdoors, living clean, trying to fish. This was obviously a great, great kid.
Posted by thsomerville on January 14, 2008 at 10:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
cboh1:
You might like to know that this land was occupied by "indians" prior to our colonization and occupation of it. They were not "American Indians" because there was no America yet. The indian tribes who were indigenous to the CA area are some of the forefathers of today's Mexicans, thus what people are trying to communicate in some of these posts is that Mexicans occupied this land before we did and we forced them to cede it to the U.S. via the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Whether I agree with your point of view or not (I don't), these are historical facts you should learn about our history as Californians. I can refer to a history class at the college, if you are interested. I teach there. Good stuff to know before you spout out your bigotry. Americans didn't (and don't now) own the world, or the people in it.
Posted by darias on January 14, 2008 at 10:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've been there many times and know just how strong and powerful the waves are. My condolences to the family.
Posted by nancy_4ever on January 14, 2008 at 10:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This man comes from an indigenous tribe of indians as do most Oaxacans. If you read all articles pertaining to this drowning they speak another language, not spanish, it is the original language said to have been spoken by the mayan or a close relative. They fish, believing it is their right, as their ancestors did in off waters of Mexico. They don't understand rules and regulations concerning God given food from the land that was once theirs. This is natural to them. If anyone has a right to these lands, and to enjoy nature, it is these people, whose land was invaded by most of us.
I pray God strengthen these people during their calamity.
Posted by imanriquez on January 18, 2008 at 10:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is so sad that this newspaper allows ignorant people to give their comment that doesn't come to the case a 16 year old boy was washed by the waves have a little of respect for the family, and for the money that they are using for the rescue I am sure that its coming from the taxes that the govenment takes of their pay checks. My condolences to the family and I'm sorry for their loss.
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