‘She died a hero’: Search underway for woman who fell under ice while trying to save dog

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - A missing woman who fell under the ice of a river in Alaska was trying to save her dog, according to her family.

Alaska State Troopers on Tuesday identified the missing woman as 45-year-old Amanda Richmond, whose family says was publicly known to many as Mandy Richmond Rogers.

An aerial and ground search began Saturday morning in Eagle River in North Fork after Richmond Rogers was reported missing.

According to Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Alaska State Troopers, the woman went under the ice in a river near the North Fork Eagle Trailhead.

Officials say Richmond Rogers and her husband Brian Rogers were walking along the trail with their dogs when one of them went into the river’s open water. The couple went into the water to search for the dog. Richmond Rogers did not resurface.

Officials say the husband was not injured.

Units with the Anchorage Fire Department and Alaska State troopers were dispatched to assist with the search. A helicopter was also deployed Saturday afternoon. By Saturday evening, officials decided to postpone the search until the next day.

On Sunday, Alaska Wildlife Troopers along with volunteers with the AK Dive Search Rescue & Recovery Team, were at the North Fork Eagle River Trailhead searching for Richmond Rogers.

Those searching were able to get to the site and cut into the ice, allowing the team to deploy technology that may have included divers, sonar and remote operated vehicles underneath the ice. The search on Sunday included several areas of interest that the dive team identified.

“It is certainly a tragic event for the family, our thoughts are with them, especially with the closeness to the Christmas holiday,” said McDaniel. “But our focus is finding the missing woman so the family can have some closure.”

Rep. Jamie Allard, a legislator representing the area in Eagle River where the woman disappeared, wrote of the impact of the tragedy on the close-knit community.

“This incident is a heartbreaking tragedy, and it deeply saddens all of us,” Allard wrote in a statement. “The loss experienced by the family is beyond words, and they have my most heartfelt sympathies in this difficult time. This event is a grave reminder of how quickly situations can turn perilous in natural settings, especially near our river.”

Representative Allard encouraged the Chugiak-Eagle River community to come together to support the family. She also thanked the response from emergency services, along with search and rescue and safety teams, who often demonstrate their dedication to public safety.

Due to areas of thin ice and open water, the teams operated their search and rescue operations when it was safe for them to operate, troopers said.

McDaniel said he urges people to be cautious of thin ice when using snow machines, ice skating, ice fishing and crossing bodies of water on foot.

“If you’re going to be on any frozen lakes, rivers, other type of waterways, make sure you know the depth of the ice,” McDaniel said. “With the interesting winter we’ve been having in Southcentral, Alaska, there could be a substantial amount of snow on top of very thin ice.”

After no luck in finding Richmond Rogers, troopers returned to the area after the Christmas holiday on Tuesday morning to search along the river.

Officials told KTTU that search efforts would continue until dark.

Richmond Roger’s sister, Jennifer Richmond, provided KTUU with pictures of the mother of four and also provided the following statement from Richmond Rogers’ husband, Brian Rogers:

“My wife and I had just spent the last three weeks decorating the house, hanging Christmas lights, buying last-minute presents, wrapping presents, watching our kids compete in the state wrestling tournament, and trying to get out all the Christmas cards to friends and family. It was the first Christmas we were celebrating since the passing of Amanda’s father earlier in the year. We wanted to make it special for visiting family and our four boys. After spending time with her mother and sister the previous two days, the 23rd was our day. We were married on December 23, 2005, making this our 18th anniversary.

“We planned to take two of our dogs for a walk, go on a date, and spend the night at the Hotel Captain Cook. It was a beautiful day. We chose to hike at the North Fork of Eagle River trailhead. We had hiked here many times and was one of Amanda’s favorites. We were having an amazing time watching the dogs play, playing with the dogs ourselves, and admiring the beauty of outdoor Alaska during the winter. We visited with a few friends along the way. We stopped at an especially scenic area along the river to admire the view. We were a bit tired so we laid down on the snow-covered ice to rest and looked at the blue sky above and the cloud formations above the mountains. The dogs ran and played. A short ways away was a small opening in the ice with water flowing, no more than about 18 inches wide. One of the dogs went over to get a drink and fell into the opening. We ran over to the opening. There was only about a five-foot area of uncovered ice downstream from the opening. I thought I saw a flash of a big white paw underneath the ice. Before even thinking, I was jumping into the water to save our dog. I held onto the edge of the ice as I frantically ducked under the ice reaching into darkness trying to feel and grab our dog. I felt nothing. I ran out of breath and jumped out of the opening. I took four steps downstream to look for the dog through the ice again. I turned around and Amanda was getting into the water. I knew from the look on her face she was going in to save our dog.

“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. 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 still waiting. To anyone wondering why we would jump in to save our dog I can only answer, our instincts took over and we went in without thought. Amanda loved her dogs nearly as much as our kids, they were our family. We have a room in our house dedicated to the memory of all our previous dogs. We have tattoos of our dog’s paws. Amanda has around 35 thousand photos and videos on her phone from our 18 years of marriage and a majority of them of our dogs. She did not jump in to save “just a dog,” it was a family member. To me and our four boys, she died a hero.

“Amanda was an amazing mother and has raised four tremendous children. She worked as an emergency room nurse, a death scene investigator, and a pediatric hospice nurse but the job she excelled at was mom. She enjoyed the outdoors, her family, all animals, and adventure. She has touched so many people’s lives for the better. I could go on and on and on. She was a beautiful person with a beautiful soul.

“Our family would personally like to thank the Rankin family, the first responders who responded that day, Anchorage Police and Alaska State Police, the search and rescue workers who have and will work to recover Mandy, my neighbors, Eagle River, the amazing Alaska State Wrestling community, my colleagues with Alaska Emergency Medicine Associates, the Anchorage Medical Community, Mandy and I’s friends and family, those who have or will send meals, and anyone sending thoughts and prayers. I know I am missing so many people but my brain is still in a fog. It is truly incredible the overwhelming support we have received during our crisis. We are blessed to live in such a special place. Thank you.”

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