Montecito, California. In January of 2018, flash floods caused a mudslide to sweep through the Santa Barbara area.
130 homes were completely ruined, and 23 people ended up losing their lives. After the mudslide had devastated the area, 17-year-old Jack Cantin remained missing though, along with 2-year-old Lydia Sutthithepa.
Jack’s dad Dave was unfortunately found deceased on the beach.
“In Santa Barbara on January 9th, there were severe rainstorms that resulted in flash floods,” a friend of the Cantin family wrote on a GoFundMe page for Jack’s mom, Kim.
GoFundMe; pictured above is the Cantin family
“Terrible timing given the recent fires. Kim Cantin and her family were horribly impacted by this storm.”
“We are sorry to report that her house was completely washed away and more heartbreak is that her husband Dave and her 16-year old son Jack are still missing.”
“Thankfully her 14-year old daughter was rescued by firefighters on January 9th. We are working with the local community to offer as much support to Kim and her family as quickly as possible. Please keep Kim and her family in your thoughts and prayers.”
In the three years that have passed since then, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office provided updates on the multiple searches that were done in the hopes of finding Jack and Lydia.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
“The search continues for our two beloved missing community members, 17-year-old Jack Cantin and two-year-old Lydia Sutthithepa,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement from November of 2018.
“Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team members and search K9s are working with Santa Barbara County Flood Control to search areas during excavation of flood control channels in Montecito.”
“Our Search and Rescue team has been conducting searches ever since January’s deadly debris flow and will continue to do so as needed to effectively cover all areas.”
“Our appreciation to the many K9 teams that have been a part of the search since the beginning of the year.”
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office; pictured above a search and rescue team looks for Jack and Lydia
A few days ago, Jack’s mom Kim said to KEYT that Jack’s remains have been recovered after 3 long years.
Jack was found approximately 1,000 feet from the home that the family had shared on Hot Springs Road.
“The amazing thing is, I will have Jack to bury at the cemetery next to his father, with dignity, so that I can have closure,” Kim explained.
“My family can have closure. Jack’s friends can have closure. And, the community can have closure. I know this community was amazing and everyone was rooting and praying that we’d find these kids.”