2 women found in car submerged in Stanislaus River in San Joaquin County are identified

Two women whose bodies were found this week in a car submerged in the Stanislaus River in Ripon, north of Modesto, have been identified, authorities said.

The women were identified as Alyssa Ros, 23, of Long Beach, and Xylona Gama, 22, of Stockton, according to the Ripon Police Department. Both women died from drowning.

Ripon police Sgt. Jared Heuvel said there was no evidence of foul play. A toxicology report could take several weeks to complete.

Ros and Gama were last seen last seen Sunday night leaving a wedding at the Spring Creek Golf and Country Club in Ripon, according to Ros’ father, Phalnithada Danny Ros. An employee at the country club spotted the vehicle in the river beside the golf course on Tuesday and notified police.

Ros told her father that she and Gama were on the way to his house in Modesto with other guests from the wedding, the elder Ros said in an interview with The Times. According to surveillance footage, the two were the last to leave.

“On Google Maps, there is a golf car route that looks like a road. They probably took that road thinking that there is a way out that way,” Ros’ father said. “And I guess they just kept driving.”

When the two women did not arrive Sunday night at his house, Ros’ father said he felt something might be wrong.

Alyssa Ros grew up in Stockton and moved to Southern California to study business and communications at Cal State Long Beach, her father said. A part-time student and model, she met Gama at a club in Stockton seven years ago. Ros had invited her friend to a relative’s wedding and was staying at Gama’s family home at the time of the accident.

Ros’ father said he made hourly calls to his daughter’s cellphone, which was off throughout the night. The next day, he drove to Gama’s house in Stockton where he met Gama’s parents.

After driving back and forth between his house and the country club to see whether any cars had veered off into the orchards or into the water, the elder Ros received a message from his cousin. It was a screenshot of the golf employee’s tweet about finding the missing women.

“I rushed to the golf course driving like a maniac,” the elder Ros said. “I was bawling. Tears were just all over the place.”

Ros said he raised his daughter as a single father since she was 6 years old.

“It’s going to be hard for me going forward each and every day, knowing that she’s not here with me,” he said, choking back tears.

The family held a small memorial near the site where the bodies were found.

“I miss her smile. I miss her laughter,” Ros said of his daughter. “I miss the way she wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a kiss on my right cheek.”

Crystal Martinez, Gama’s mother, said she called her daughter “Munchies” and described her as “my best friend, my confidant, my everything” on a GoFundMe page she set up to request donations to cover funeral expenses. Gama was a model and aspiring chef attending culinary school.