Search resumes for woman who disappeared under frozen Alaska river while trying to rescue dog

A search in Alaska resumed Tuesday for a woman who went under the ice of the frozen Eagle River while trying to save her beloved dog and has not been seen since, officials said.

The Alaska State Troopers identified the woman Tuesday as Amanda Richmond, 45, of the community of Eagle River, about 12 miles northeast of downtown Anchorage.

She disappeared Saturday afternoon under the ice of the frozen Eagle River as she and her husband tried to save one of their dogs, which had gone into an open area of water, according to the troopers and a statement from her husband.

The Alaska Dive Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team; the Solstice Search and Rescue K9 Team; and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers resumed the search for her at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the troopers said in a statement.

Efforts to contact Richmond’s family were not immediately successful. Her sister, Jennifer Richmond, provided a statement from Amanda Richmond’s husband to NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage.

Their dog, Groot, was more than just a pet, husband Brian Rogers said in the statement.

“She did not jump in to save ‘just a dog,’ it was a family member,” Rogers said. He said that to him and their four children, “she died a hero.”

The dog has not been recovered, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers said.

The dog was getting a drink of water in an opening in the ice when it fell in, Rogers said. He said in the statement that he thought he saw a paw under the ice, went in the water and reached in to try to grab it and that Richmond also went into the water to try and save their pet.

“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,” Rogers said in the statement.

Richmond, a nurse, was a mother of four children. “She has touched so many people’s lives for the better,” Rogers said in the statement to KTUU.