A man and his dog were rescued on March 21, 2026, after their kayak overturned on Tomales Bay, in Marin County, California. His girlfriend, now identified as Brigitte Manspeaker, 37, drowned after slipping out of her personal floatation device (PFD), the man reported to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescue on Tomales Bay, Marin County
Rescue crews responded 12 minutes after the Marin County Fire Department relayed reports of two people in the water. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported that the rescue crew found the man and dog holding the overturned kayak, and conditions during the rescue were high winds and three-foot swells. The man was later treated for hypothermia. The dog was also recovered safely.
An aerial search ensued and the helicopters located Manspeaker face down and 200 yards from the kayak. She was then brought to shore and received CPR until paramedics arrived and later pronounced her dead.
“Brigitte loved being in nature and respecting the earth,” wrote friend Barbara Ngai in a GoFundMe organized for Manspeaker’s mother. “Whether she was hiking a new trail, swimming in open water, or traveling to a place she’d never been before, she would be sure to honor her surroundings and show gratitude wherever she was.”…