Man's Body Found In Rainbow Creek Near Temecula; Recovery Efforts Resume For Reportedly Missing Child

RAINBOW, CA – Search and rescue crews continued to search Monday for a child who may have been swept into a creek in Rainbow, along with a man, who has since been found dead. Rainbow is a rural community south of Temecula.

Firefighters began looking for a person in the swift-moving waters around 4:30 p.m. Sunday after someone reported seeing a body in the creek off the 4800 block of Fifth Street near Old Highway 395, said North County Fire Protection District spokesman John Buchanan.

Another witness reported the body of a child in the creek, Buchanan said, but search and rescuers instead found a man’s body about two hours later, not far from Rainbow Oaks Restaurant on Fifth Street, according to a report by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The discovery prompted Buchanan to warn the public to beware of rain-filled channels and creeks.
"Don't go near any water,” he said. “It's going to be moving really fast."

Firefighters continued the search until it became too dark. Because conditions were too dangerous for crews to remove the body immediately, NBC San Diego reported that crews planned to resume the operation Monday morning.

Sheriff's officials said an adult and a 5-year-old child were reported missing from the Riverside area, but it was not immediately clear if the case was related to the search.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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