Alaska mom on anniversary hike with hubby vanishes under ice while trying to save dog

An Alaskan mother of four is believed to have died after she disappeared while swimming under the ice of a frozen river to rescue her dog, which fell in during a hike she was taking with her husband on their anniversary.

Amanda Richmond Rogers, 45, and her husband, Brian Rogers, were walking with their two dogs along the North Fork Eagle River trail near Anchorage on Saturday, their 18^th anniversary, when tragedy struck.

One of their dogs, Groot, suddenly fell through the ice while trying to drink water through an opening – prompting Brian to jump in to save the pooch, the Alaska Daily News reported.

“I thought I saw a flash of a big white paw underneath the ice. Before even thinking, I was jumping into the water to save our dog. I held onto the edge of the ice as I frantically ducked under the ice reaching into darkness trying to feel and grab our dog. I felt nothing,” Brian said in a statement released by the family.

When he got out of the freezing water after failing to locate Groot, he saw his wife, an emergency room nurse, jumped in in a desperate attempt to find their beloved pet.

“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,” Brian continued.

He said he yelled at her but that she probably didn’t hear him as she swam under the ice and out of sight.

“Amanda loved her dogs nearly as much as our kids, they were our family,” he wrote, adding that his wife “did not jump in to save ‘just a dog,’ it was a family member. To me and our 4 boys she died a hero.”

The Alaska Dive Search, Rescue and Recovery Team, the Solstice Search and Rescue K9 Team and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers have launched a rescue effort, KTUU reported.

The rescuers were forced to call off the search for the Eagle River woman about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday due to frozen equipment but were expected to resume operations Wednesday.

“We will go through and see if there’s other areas of interest, [areas] we still need to search, and then make a decision on what type of search strategy or search tactics we might deploy tomorrow,” Department of Public Safety spokesman Austin McDaniel told KTUU on Tuesday.

Her husband said the hike was supposed to be a “special” day for their family.

“It was the first Christmas we were celebrating since the passing of Amanda’s father earlier in the year. We wanted to make it special for visiting family and our 4 boys,” Brian wrote.

“After spending time with her mother and sister the previous two days, the 23rd was our day. We were married on December 23, 2005, making this our 18th anniversary,” he wrote, adding that the couple planned to take their two dogs for a walk.

“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,” he recounted.

Brian said that in addition to being a nurse, his wife also worked as a death scene investigator.

“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,” he wrote.

Rep. Jamie Allard, who represents the area, wrote about the impact of the tragedy on the close-knit community.

“This incident is a heartbreaking tragedy, and it deeply saddens all of us.” Allard wrote in a statement, KTUU reported. “The loss experienced by the family is beyond words, and they have my most heartfelt sympathies in this difficult time. This event is a grave reminder of how quickly situations can turn perilous in natural settings, especially near our river.”