UPDATE 9:44 P.M. JAN. 15: Mom of Portland children swept out to sea thanks community for ‘providing light to my dark days’

A Portland father and his two young children swept out to sea on the Oregon coast over the weekend were walking on an off-beach trail when they were hit by a “sneaker wave,” the family said Monday.

Lola Stiles, 7, died Saturday afternoon and her brother, William, 4, is still missing. Their father, Jeremy Stiles, 47, was recovering from hypothermia at Seaside Hospital, the family said in a statement.

“Our hearts ... could not be more broken as both children were loved beyond measure by our entire family and so many others,” the family statement said. “The Stiles family want(s) to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and especially the support of the first responders and Coast Guard during this horrific tragedy for our family.”

The wave hit the three near Cape Falcon, between Manzanita and Cannon Beach. Rescuers pulled Jeremy Stiles and Lola from the water, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard said. They were taken to the hospital in Seaside, where Lola was pronounced dead.

Coast Guard crews scoured the ocean for nearly five hours Saturday, but were unable to locate William.

The three were walking on an “off-beach” trail when a “sneaker wave creeped up onto the beach trail they were walking on and pulled them out to sea,” the family statement said. The Oregon coast was hammered with massive waves over the weekend, coupled with unusually high tides, and a high surf warning was in effect.

Private homes are perched on a rocky shelf overlooking the beach, where at high tide the shore is covered with rocks. There’s no developed beach access, and the area is mostly served by gravel roads.

The area where the family was overtaken by the water is about a mile from U.S. 101, off a series of winding roads that lead to the Pacific Ocean. Dispatch recordings show that emergency workers staged in the area of Columbia Street. That street turns into a lane that leads to a trailhead.

Oregon State Police released few new details Monday, saying what happened remains under investigation. The agency declined to say how far out to sea the father and daughter were when a Manzanita police officer first arrived and how that officer managed to get them onto shore. The first 911 call came in at 12:38 p.m. Saturday, said Capt. Tim Fox, a state police spokesman. He said that was about the time of the highest tide.

Lola Stiles was a first grader at Northeast Portland’s Vestal Elementary School.

The Instagram and Facebook accounts of Jamie Stiles, the children’s mother, shows images of a proud and delighted mom who relished time with her children and milestones in their lives, like when Lola got her ears pierced last month and her daughter’s first time going to a friend’s birthday without her mom by her side.

29 Family swept into ocean near Cannon Beach

Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Karen Werstein told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the district’s crisis recovery team was at Vestal to provide students with emotional support, as are officials with the Trauma Intervention Program in Portland.

“They’re there all day and they’re there for students, teachers and families,” she said.

Joanne Cornelius told The Associated Press that she had just finished taking photos of the waves and high tide outside her home nearby when a frantic woman pounded on her window and asked her to call 911. Children had been washed out to sea by a wave, the woman said.

“It’s a dangerous beach," Cornelius said. “It’s a thing that people have to be aware of in winter at the beach at the Oregon coast. There’s dangerous waves and when the signs are up, people have a tendency to walk right by.”

After she called for help, Cornelius said she saw the girl’s body brought to an ambulance and then the girl’s father in shock, wrapped in blankets and put into a car. She also saw a distraught woman with the group with blood on her face, wearing no shoes and soaking wet.

“It was tragic," Cornelius said, "just absolutely tragic.”

A fundraiser was set up to help the Stiles family with funeral expenses.

The Stiles family operates a coffee shop at 8044 N.E. Glisan St. called Mother Lovin’ Coffee. The latest post on the shop’s Facebook page said they were closed Saturday. “The mothers are out today for a little rest and relaxation,” the post said. “See you Monday.” The image was a sign that said, “Gone to the beach.”

Oregonian/OregonLive reporter Noelle Crombie and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048

@sfkale

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