OAKLAND, Calif. - The family and friends of the three immigrant men who drowned while rescuing a nephew from the delta in Sacramento are hoping to send their bodies back to their native Guatemala.Wendy Rivas of Oakland started a GoFundMe for her father Edwin "Guistillo" Rivas, 57, and his friends, Edwin Perez, 22, and Danilo Gutiérrez, 40.
She is hoping to raise $15,000 for each man. In observance of Guatemalan culture, Rivas' family his hosting a nightly gathering at his Oakland home for nine days to honor him and his two friends."My dad is a hero and now I see how much the people love him," Rivas said of her father.
She described him as a leader many immigrant communities of Oakland, his home of the last 36 years. Wendy said her father never refused anyone who asked him for help.She struggles with what happened and considered her father a strong swimmer.
She said he's pulled people out from the river to safety before. She said she's found some semblance of peace now that her father's body has been recovered.All the men lived in Oakland, working jobs in construction.