28-Year-Old Woman and Dog ‘Swept Away’ After Slipping into Washington River: Police

Police are searching for a woman after she slipped into a river in Washington with her dog on Sunday, March 23.

On March 24, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department announced in a press release that a 28-year-old woman was missing after falling into the Carbon River underneath the Fairfax Bridge the day before.

“On March 23rd around 12pm, a woman and her dog both slipped into the Carbon River underneath the Fairfax Bridge,” the release read. “A loved one witnessed her being swept away in the heavy current had attempted to grab her before being swept away.”

Authorities added, “Our SWIFT water rescue and Search and Rescue Rope techs responded to the site. Due to the nature of the rough terrain and a 50 foot canyon, drones were used to do a search down river for the subject and her dog.”

Police found the dog alive around a quarter mile downstream, before suspending the search at 6:13 p.m. due to the weather, terrain and darkness.

“Deputies have continued the search with the use of drones this morning and the search and rescue mission has been moved to a recovery mission,” the release concluded.

According to ABC News, the woman — who has been named as Zuleika Witron — was hiking with her girlfriend and two dogs at the time of the incident.

The outlet reports that police continued to search 1.5 miles down the river for Witron after her dog was found.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for further comment.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was also on the way to the scene but the “visibility became too limited to operate safely,” police said, per ABC News.

“My sister and her girlfriend had their dogs with them, and my sister’s dog was slipping on the bank, and my sister was reaching to help her (dog) up and they lost their footing and slipped into the river,” the victim’s sister, Kiara Witron told Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO.

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According to the outlet, police said the victim’s girlfriend walked 10 to 15 minutes away from the scene so she could get service to use her phone and call for help.

ABC News reported that if the weather allows, authorities will try to get “air assets to survey the canyon” for Witron.