Body of 5-year-old girl swept out to sea recovered in Laguna Beach

Authorities recovered the body of 5-year-old Amada Mia Brown Thursday afternoon after a desperate search off Laguna Beach. Her father, Aaron Brown, identified her publicly and spoke at a vigil, as family members gathered near the shoreline and watched the effort unfold in anguish.

The child had been swept into the ocean near Treasure Island Beach in South Laguna on Tuesday night, when a mother and two children were pulled into the water. Bystanders rescued two of the swimmers, but one child remained missing as Laguna Beach Marine Safety crews and other responders launched an ocean search and rescue operation.

The search began around 7:30 p.m. on June 9, 2026, and continued through air and sea operations into Wednesday evening. The U.S. Coast Guard later suspended the search Wednesday night after more than 30 hours of work and after crews had covered more than 90 square miles, a vast stretch of ocean that underscored how quickly a missing-person case can expand once waves and currents carry someone away from shore.

Officials then shifted from an active hunt to routine shoreline monitoring on Thursday. That transition marked the end of one of the most intense rescue efforts along this stretch of the Orange County coast in recent memory, even as the family and the community were left to absorb the loss.

Brown’s identification gave a name to the missing child at the center of the search, and the vigil for Amada Mia Brown reflected the depth of the family’s grief. Aaron Brown described his daughter as a bright child who loved life and adored the films Moana and Frozen. The events at Treasure Island Beach also served as a stark reminder that conditions can turn lethal fast, especially when powerful surf and sudden waves overwhelm swimmers before help can reach them.