A volunteer diver in California has assisted in bringing closure to at least 15 families throughout the western United States by locating the bodies of missing drowning victims. This includes children caught in strong currents and hikers lost at dangerous waterfalls.
Juan Heredia, a 53-year-old mortgage lender and certified scuba instructor from Stockton, California, began his recovery efforts in March 2024 after responding to a local mother’s plea for assistance. Xavier Martinez, 15, had jumped into the Calaveras River near his high school in Stockton and did not reappear. Official rescue operations searched for six days without finding him.
Upon meeting Xavier’s mother, Amanda Martinez, Heredia was informed that she believed her son was underwater in the shade of a tree. Within 30 minutes of diving, Heredia located him at that exact spot. His efforts were later acknowledged by the Stockton City Council, which awarded him a key to the city.
This initial recovery marked the beginning of Heredia’s intense mission. He has since located bodies in California and Oregon, often traveling hundreds of miles at his own cost to assist grieving families. His nonprofit organization, Angels Recovery Dive Team, was established in the summer of 2024 to support this volunteer work. Heredia does not charge for his services; he depends instead on donations.
Heredia has conducted recoveries in some of the region’s most challenging environments. In June 2025, he found three men at Rattlesnake Falls in Placer County, California, who had been swept away by powerful currents. The isolated terrain and strong waters had deterred other professional divers, who deemed the conditions too hazardous. “I found them!! The family no longer has to wait in agony!! That waterfall was brutal. He was pushing me hard… but I wouldn’t leave without those 3 souls,” Heredia wrote on Facebook.
In March 2025, Heredia drove 12 hours from California to Oregon following a Facebook message from a stranger about two-year-old Dane Paulsen, who disappeared from his family’s residence along the Siletz River. Though Heredia was on vacation in Mexico with his wife, he felt compelled to assist. He found the toddler’s body in the river, trapped against a submerged tree.
One of Heredia’s recent recoveries involved a November 14, 2025, incident at Garrapata State Beach, California. Seven-year-old Anzi Hu and her father, Yuji Hu, 39, from Calgary, Alberta, were swept out to sea by a significant wave. Her father died attempting to rescue her. Heredia found her body about 100 yards offshore on November 16.
Heredia’s family, including his wife, Mercedes, and children Camila, 22, and Matias, 24, are also divers and assist in his missions. In July, Heredia began focusing full-time on recovery operations. His family is no stranger to tragedy—Mercedes’ son Brian drowned in a canal following a car accident.
The work has an emotional impact. “I remember every single name and every single place of every single son and daughter I’ve found,” Heredia told People magazine. He keeps photos of those he has recovered in his living room, preferring to remember them smiling rather than in the water.
In July 2025, Heredia traveled to Sequoia National Park, California, to search for 26-year-old Jomarie Calasanz, who disappeared in the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River during a Memorial Day weekend outing while trying to save her older sister.
Not all agencies welcome outside help. When Heredia traveled to Dillon Falls in Central Oregon to assist in a search for missing boaters, he was turned away by authorities, causing frustration over perceived jurisdictional barriers.
Matt Bowman, whose friends were among those Heredia recovered at Rattlesnake Falls, praised the diver’s unique approach. Bowman noted that Heredia refers to victims by their first names and aims to recover them in suitable condition for open casket funerals, providing families with some peace.
Amanda Martinez, Xavier’s mother, expressed amazement at Heredia’s rapid success after official teams had spent nearly a week searching. She described feeling overwhelmed by what Heredia accomplished in just 30 minutes.
Heredia hails from Argentina, where he developed skills in navigating murky river water. These experiences honed the abilities he now uses to aid families seeking closure. He explained to The Record earlier this year his motivation for helping families, saying, “This country gave me so many good things that my way of giving back is by putting my skills in diving for the community.”
