SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) — A man who was found deceased in the ocean near Moran Beach in Santa Cruz during a heat wave was identified by law enforcement officials.
Hans Materne, 45, of Atlanta, Georgia, “entered the water nearby to go swimming” on the afternoon of June 5, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Keehn told KRON4.
Materne’s wife, Astrid Restrepo, wrote on a GoFundMe page, “Hans decided to jump into the ocean from the top of the cliff next to the beach. I lost my husband, the father of my daughter, and my other half.”
Harbor patrol officers pulled the victim’s body out of the ocean after witnesses spotted him floating in the water. He was unconscious and not breathing.
Restrepo said Materne had spent the warm day enjoying time off from work by relaxing on the beach.
When Materne jumped from the cliff, there was a high surf advisory in effect for powerful waves and the tide at Moran Beach was approaching high tide.
“This jump would cost him his life. The high current levels in the ocean kept him from emerging safely. Now, he is not able to return home to us,” the grieving wife wrote. Emergency responders were unable to revive the victim.
A sheriff’s coroner conducted an autopsy and routine toxicology test to determine Materne’s official cause of death. Toxicology tests are still pending, Keehn said on Friday. “There is no foul play suspected,” she said.
Restrepo said donations raised through the GoFundMe page will be used to honor Hans’ life and transport his body back to Atlanta for funeral services.
