Valley father drowns while swimming in Fresno County pond

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Valley father who drowned while swimming in a ponding basin in Caruthers has been identified.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office says 34-year-old Jose Carrillo was swimming with his 15-year-old son and a friend in the area of Conejo and West Avenues on Monday afternoon.

Witnesses say Carrillo panicked, went underwater and never resurfaced.

When his son and his friend called for help, teams from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office and CAL FIRE rushed to the scene and began a search.

At about 7 pm, they found Carrillo's body.

The pond was created by runoff water from flowing canals.