Friends and family members are continuing their search Monday for Orange County rapper Michael “Dossicc” Ramirez after he was swept away in the Kern River Thursday.
Ramirez, a member of the group Rebellion Warfare, had gone to the Keyesville campground in Lake Isabella to celebrate his 27th birthday with his friends, the Orange County Register reported.
After helping set up camp with his girlfriend Erica Zambada and another couple, Ramirez, of Buena Park, decided to cool off and go for a swim.
“It was 115 degrees,” Zambada told the Register. “We were sitting on a rock. Michael jumped in to cool down. He’s a fish – he loves to swim. He said, ‘The water is calm.’ But then an undercurrent swept him away.”
Christ Caballero, also a member of Rebellion Warfare, tried to save him.
“I got within a foot of him, but pockets of current acted like a suction, pulling him under,” Christ Caballero told the Register. “I saw his head bob up one more time, and then I didn’t see him again.”
A search-and-rescue team from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office responded within 10 minutes, OC Weekly reported.
Crews, friends and family members spent the entire weekend searching for Ramirez.
Ramirez goes by the stage name Dossicc when performing for Rebellion Warfare, a hardcore Latino hip-hop group.
The group is known for coming on stage in all military attire and has opened for acts such as Psycho Realm, Immortal Technique, Aesop Rock, Raekwon, Souls of Mischief, Pharaoh Monche and Method Man, according to the OC Weekly.
Zambada on Monday told KTLA Ramirez’s friends and family want the river to be closed down because of the number of people who have died there. “Over 280 people have died,” Zambada said.
KTLA placed a call to officials Monday morning and are awaiting a call back.
Zambada says she will be out helping in the search efforts.
KTLA’s Alexandria Hernandez contributed to this report.