US-ARMENIAN BOY SWEPT TO SEA STILL MISSING

17:14 ~U 28.11.12

Howard Kuljian and his family were out for a walk on a damp, overcast
morning at Big Lagoon state beach on Saturday, playing fetch with
their dog Fran as eight-to-10-foot surf churned the water just feet
away like a washing machine, Greenwich Time reported.

Kuljian tossed a stick that took the dog down to the water’s edge,
and in an instant, authorities said, a wave swallowed it, setting
off a nightmarish scramble.

In the end, Kuljian, 54, his wife Mary Scott, 57, and son Gregory
“Geddie” Kuljian were all engulfed by the roiling waters after trying
to save the dog, then each other. The two parents’ bodies were later
recovered, but the Coast Guard called off a search for the boy.

The Humboldt County coroner’s office said Tuesday that the body of
the 16-year-old boy still had not been found.

The couple’s 18-year-old daughter, Olivia, and Gregory’s girlfriend
could only watch from the beach as the horror unfolded. The dog later
made its way safely back onto the beach.

Mourners wore green again on Tuesday in a gut-wrenching tribute to
teenage boy. Students at Arcata High School wore his favorite color
as they tried to come to terms with the sudden, tragic loss of the
well-liked family.

“His parents treated me like I was one of their own. They treated
everyone like their own children no matter who it was,” said Jacob
Swindle, a close friend of the family.

More than 1,600 people “liked” a Facebook page set up by the teenager’s
friends called “Wear Green for Geddie” – using his nickname. Dozens
tweeted tributes with the hashtag (hash)WearGreenForGeddie.

“I will always remember him no matter how long,” wrote Emmalaya Owen
on the Facebook page. “Especially how he was such an upbeat happy
person or how he tried to put up ‘Be Happy’ propaganda posters he
drew around school.”

At Big Lagoon beach, a short drive from Arcata, signs posted near the
parking lot warned beachgoers not to turn their back to the surf and
to pay special attention to sneaker waves.

A steep slope of beach leads to the water’s edge, where waves break
with a boom right on shore. Officials warn beachgoers not to turn
their backs to the water.

On Saturday, as the family walked along the beach, Howard Kuljian
threw the stick and the dog gave chase, said Dana Jones, a state
parks district superintendent.

Seeing his son in the water, Kuljian leapt to action, and disappeared
into the frigid water.

Gregory managed to pull himself back onto the sand, but after realizing
his father was drowning, both he and his mother went in to save him.

A nearby bystander called police. By the time help arrived, it was
too late.

Jones said the officer wasn’t able to get to the family members
because of the high surf.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress