Mother-of-four who disappeared into icy Alaska river while trying to save dog is identified

Amanda Richmond Rogers went missing while out with her dog, Groot, on 23 December

Mother of four Amanada Richmond Rogers who disappeared into Alaska river with pet dog Groot (Handout)

A mother of four who disappeared into a river in Alaska in an attempt to save her dog from the icy waters has been identified by her family.

Amanda Richmond Rogers – an emergency room nurse and known by friends as “Mandy” – went missing while out with her dog, Groot, on 23 December. She and her husband had been celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary.

On Tuesday, Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team announced it was continuing its operations in Eagle River with the assistance of the Alaska Solstice Search Dogs.

Search efforts were briefly called off on Tuesday night due to frozen equipment.

A statement from husband Brian Rogers, shared with Alaska News Source, said they had planned to celebrate their anniversary by hiking one of his wife’s favourite trails together with their dogs. He described his wife as “a beautiful person with a beautiful soul”.

Mother of four Amanada Richmond Rogers who disappeared into Alaska river with pet dog Groot (Jennifer Richmond/ Alaska News Source)

“We were having an amazing time watching the dogs play, playing with the dogs ourselves, and admiring the beauty of outdoor Alaska during the winter… We stopped at an especially scenic area along the river to admire the view,” he said.

Mr Rogers said that the pair had stopped to rest, before one of their dogs had fallen through the ice while trying to get a drink of water. He had immediately jumped in himself to retrieve the animal but was unsuccessful and climbed out.

“I turned around and Amanda was getting into the water. I knew from the look on her face she was going in to save our dog,” he said.

“I yelled but doubt she even heard me as she was completely concentrating on saving the dog. Before I could get back to the opening to try and grab her I could see her swimming downstream under the ice and then out of sight.

“I waited and waited and am still waiting.”

His statement added: “To anyone wondering why we would jump in to save our dog I can only answer, our instincts took over and we went in without thought. Amanda loved her dogs nearly as much as our kids, they were our family.

“She did not jump in to save ‘just a dog,’ it was a family member. To me and our four boys she died a hero.”

He continued: “Amanda was an amazing mother and has raised four tremendous children. She worked as an emergency room nurse, a death scene investigator and a pediatric hospice nurse but the job she excelled at was mom.

“She enjoyed the outdoors, her family, all animals, and adventure. She has touched so many people’s lives for the better. I could go on and on and on. She was a beautiful person with a beautiful soul.”