LOS BANOS, CA (August 12th, 2025) – Authorities have recovered the body of 15-year-old Aaron Ramirez of Los Banos, several days after a crash sent the vehicle he was in into the California Aqueduct in Stanislaus County.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said the crash happened on Tuesday, August 5, when a northbound SUV towing a utility trailer left Interstate 5 just north of Sperry Avenue, went down an embankment, crossed two barbed-wire fences, and entered the aqueduct.
First responders recovered Aaron’s father, Raul Ramirez, from the submerged vehicle on the day of the crash. After learning there may have been a second occupant, authorities began searching for 15-year-old Aaron Ramirez.
On Friday, August 8, search teams found Aaron’s body about 1.5 miles downstream from the crash site, near canal gates south of Sperry Avenue. CHP has not released details on the cause of the crash or the condition of the other person recovered from the vehicle.
A GoFundMe campaign titled “In Memory of Raul & Aaron — Support Elvia & Isaac” was launched on August 9 to raise money for funeral expenses and to assist Aaron’s mother, Elvia, and his sibling, Isaac. The fundraiser states that donations will be used to help the family during this time.
The Go Fund Me Link can be accessed here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-raul-aaron-ramirez-help-for-their-fa
