Family fishing trip ended in heartbreak when 31-year-old Angelina Khalimendik jumped into the Des Plaines River to save her seven-year-old son. The Illinois mother managed to get her child to another family member. She then disappeared beneath the water.
The terrifying incident happened just after 7:00 PM on Sunday at the Independence Grove Forest Preserve. According to CBS Chicago, Khalimendik had been fishing with her three children while her husband was out of town.
Bystanders and a relative pulled Khalimendik from the river. She had already taken in too much water. First responders rushed to perform CPR at the scene. She was later pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center.
She saved her son, but never made it back to shore
Khalimendik’s son had been swept away by the current when she went into the river after him. She successfully helped him reach another family member before slipping underwater herself. The children were reportedly heard screaming for help during the desperate rescue.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Khalimendik’s death was consistent with drowning. The tragedy came after more than a week of severe weather in the region. That rainfall had left the river swollen and filled with hidden hazards.
Lake County Forest Preserves Police Chief Ron Davis explained the danger. “We’ve had some very torrential rains the past week, week-and-a-half, so these bodies of water are flooded with not only extra water, but debris, fallen trees, branches, rocks, other things that are under the surface”.
The water may not have looked dangerous from the shore. However, beneath the surface were debris and branches that made the rescue even more difficult.
Davis also shared advice for anyone who is suddenly swept into fast-moving water. “If you are swept in the water, remain calm. Try to roll over on your back,” he told ABC 7. The warning comes as another family continues to mourn an officer who died trying to save his fiancée from heavy water currents.
“Use your arms and your feet as bumpers, pushing away at debris and branches and rocks that may be in your way, and try to get yourself in a position where you look closer to the shoreline, where you’re able to get yourself out or have people help you out safely,” Davis added.
Khalimendik’s family was left facing an unimaginable loss. Her husband returned to the scene with their children on Monday as they tried to process what had happened. Emergency crews reportedly arrived in less than two minutes. Her husband did not reach the hospital before learning that his wife had died.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 4,500 people drowned each year in the US from 2020 to 2022. Behind those numbers are families left to deal with sudden and devastating losses.
Chief Davis said there was no indication of foul play. “There’s nothing to indicate this was anything more than a tragic accident,” Davis said.
For Khalimendik’s family, the fishing trip ended with a mother giving everything she had to bring her child back safely.
Published: Aug 19, 2026 05:30 am