‘Hero’ relative rescues 12-year-old girl from Utah reservoir, then vanishes
When a 12-year-old girl on an inflatable tube started drifting far out into a frigid Utah reservoir, one of her family members grabbed a paddleboard and went out to help her.
He saved her life, then he vanished under the water, officials said.
It happened just before 7 p.m. July 12 at the Silver Lake Flat Reservoir, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 14 post on Facebook.
Daniel Braga Figueiredo, a 31-year-old relative of the girl, borrowed someone’s paddle board to help the girl, officials said.
Bystanders saw them struggling, and they both ended up in the water, officials said.
Witnesses then went out onto the reservoir to help them, and they were the last people to see Figueiredo alive as he saved the girl’s life.
“Daniel was last seen lifting the 12 year old up onto an inflatable device and then disappeared under the water,” the agency said.
Someone called 911 and rescuers from several agencies came to help. His body was found in the water at about 9:30 p.m., officials said.
“His last act was saving a 12-year-old girl,” someone said in the comments. “Heartbreaking, but tip a cap to someone who goes out as a hero.”
Several others agreed.
“There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another,” someone said in the comments. “Prayers for the family…he is a hero.”
Several neighbors and people who said they know the family shared that Figueiredo was a father to a newborn baby and two boys.
“Truly one of the purest and most joyful people I’ve ever known,” someone said. “All of us who served in Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil with Figueiredo know how special he is. My heart is broken.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM with the headline "‘Hero’ relative rescues 12-year-old girl from Utah reservoir, then vanishes."
