Empire girl, 11, drowns in foothills swimming hole

An 11-year-old Empire girl drowned Saturday during a trip with her family to Rainbow Pools, east of Groveland.

At about 3:30 p.m., Nataliey Garcia slipped and fell at the top of the waterfall at Rainbow Pools, which is on the south fork of the Tuolumne River near Highway 120, according to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses said the girl hit her head before going into the water and not resurfacing.

Many people jumped in the water to look for her but could not find her, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s Search and Rescue Swift Water Team along with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Dive Team responded to the area to search for the girl.

The Tuolumne department reported Saturday evening that the girl’s body was recovered.

The family of the girl has set up a Go Fund Me page to help with funeral costs.

This story was originally published July 17, 2016 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Empire girl, 11, drowns in foothills swimming hole."