Missing Persons Found Safe

Thursday, August 16th 2007, 6:15 am

By: News On 6

Four people are safely back on solid ground after a scare on a Green Country lake. Wednesday night two adults and two children were on their Sea Doo when it broke down, forcing them to swim for safety. The News On 6's Carina Sonn reports on their rescue.

What was supposed to be a quick evening lap around Lake Keystone turned into an exhausting overnight trip for 30-year-old Rita Hirst, 28-year-old Claudia Arroyave and her sisters, 7-year-old Alexa Garrett and 10-year-old Angelica Garrett. The group set off on their Sea Doo at around 8 o'clock Wednesday night. Daylight was already starting to fade, when their three-seater Sea Doo capsized.

"It flipped and too much water got on it, and so it was overweighed and so it couldn't go anymore," said 10-year-old Angelica Garrett.

"Were you scared?" asked News On 6 reporter Carina Sonn.

"Yeah, so we prayed," Garrett said.

The Sea Doo stalled out in a rocky location, and the girls knew they couldn't stay there, so they were forced to swim to a flatter shore to spend the night. Luckily, everyone was wearing life jackets, and police say that probably saved their lives.

Around midnight the girls' family in Claremore got worried and called authorities. Later, a Park Ranger found Arroyave's rented SUV and jet ski trailer, but there was no sign of her, Hirst or the girls. Then just before 7 a.m. came the good news.

"Both the adult females, both of the young girls are alive," said Chief Deputy George Haralson with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

Seven year old Alexa Garrett says at daylight she and the others started swimming back towards the pier.

"Suddenly we saw a red boat and it started floating next to us and we were like 'hey, come and help us,'" she said.

Garrettâ€™s sister, Claudia Arroyave, quickly called their mother after they were rescued.

"We were praying out here too," she said to her mother on the phone. "Your girls did really good. They swam their little hearts out, they were so tired, they did really good."

"Relieved and thankful, grateful that my God came through again," said the girls' mother Luz Garrett. "He's faithful and He came through one more time."

The group was found on the south end of the lake, not far from where they launched. They were tired and hungry, but will be okay.

Watch the video: Missing Women, Girls Found Safe At Keystone Lake

Click here to watch video of the four reunited with family.

Click here to watch the video of Angelica Garrett and Alexia Garrett talking about their experience.