Russian River (ShutterStock Image)
Two people drowned in the Russian River over the long holiday weekend. First, a swimmer who was reported missing in the Russian River near Villa Grande was found dead on Friday afternoon, about two days after he went missing. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office announced the swimmer’s death on Sunday and identified him as 28-year-old Santa Rosa resident Nasoni Tuitoga. The area where the body was found is about a mile south of Monte Rio. A second man in his 50’s then died on Saturday evening after struggling in the water just west of the Bohemian Highway Bridge. A paddleboard group managed to grab the man and pull him onto the paddleboard and attempted CPR until fire officials arrived. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene.