Ukiah man dies trying to escape the heat in East Fork of the Russian River

MENDOCINO Co., 7/24/23 — A 47-year-old Ukiah man died Saturday afternoon on the east fork of the Russian River in Potter Valley, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say Jorge Medina had been complaining of a headache shortly before he was found floating face-down in the water. 

Medina is believed to have been there with family, seeking refuge from the heat. Someone at the scene pulled him to shore and administered CPR. Medina knew how to swim and had last been seen wading chest-deep in the river.