A woman is missing and presumed dead after she jumped into a frozen river on Saturday to save her dog and was swept away under the ice.
Amanda Richmond Rogers entered the frigid body of water after her husband, Brian Rogers, failed to find one of their two dogs, according to Anchorage Daily News. The 45-year-old Eagle River resident remained missing as of Tuesday, and a search was ongoing.
Nurse was trying to save family dog when she went under the ice in North Fork of Eagle River – Anchorage Daily News https://t.co/mjcnPYWsCo a través de @GoogleNews
— Juan Palma (@jeps2009) December 27, 2023
Richmond Rogers was walking both of her dogs with Brian when one fell through a small crack in the ice while taking a drink from the river, Rogers wrote in a statement, according to the outlet.
“I knew from the look on her face she was going in to save our dog,” Rogers wrote, according to the outlet. “She is an emergency room nurse, trained to help and save people. In this situation, she was going to save our dog.”
“I yelled but doubt she even heard me as she was completely concentrating on saving the dog,” the missing woman’s husband continued, according to the Anchorage Daily News. “Before I could get back to the opening to try and grab her I could see her SWIMMING downstream under the ice and then out of sight.”
“I waited and waited and am stilling waiting,” Rogers added, the outlet reported.
Rogers said he and his wife both impulsively attempted to save the dog despite the danger because they consider their pets to be family members, according to the outlet. He said that his wife “died as a hero” in the eyes of himself and their four children. (RELATED: Woman Loses Both Legs After Brutally Attacked By 3 Pitbulls)
Search efforts on Saturday included Anchorage police and firefighters, a helicopter from the Department of Public Safety and a ground search by wildlife troopers, according to the outlet. By Sunday, The Alaska Dive, Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team joined the search, failing to locate Richmond Rogers. The search continued on Tuesday.