The family of a Goleta mother found dead in a Ventura County River last month is raising funds for her funeral and memorial expenses.
Kaylynn M. Herrera, 30, was a “daughter, sister, and friend,” and “devoted and proud mother” to her two children, a boy and girl, according to her obituary. She was born in Texas but raised in Goleta, where her family settled down in 1998. “She had a gentle soul, a bright smile, and a presence that brought comfort to those around her,” the obituary reads.
On January 23, a private pilot spotted what appeared to be human remains in the Santa Clara River near Saticoy, and reported it to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, said Captain Rob Yoos. The “partially decomposed” body was transferred via the Sheriff’s Office air unit to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The body was later identified as Kaylynn Herrera. The cause and manner of her death is still pending, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
There were no signs of foul play involved in the incident, Yoos said, but the investigation is still ongoing due to where the body was found. “We’re trying to figure out how she ended up where she ended up,” Yoos said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe for Herrera’s funeral and memorial expenses, “and to provide for her children as they adjust to life without her.”
As of Monday, February 9, they have raised $17,655 of their $20,000 goal.
“She touched the lives of everyone around her with her kindness, warmth, and unwavering love for her children,” the organizers wrote. “Losing her so unexpectedly has been incredibly hard for all of us, and we are doing our best to honor her memory and support her children as we navigate this difficult time.”
According to Herrera’s obituary, a funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, February 13, at St. Mark’s University Parish in Isla Vista, followed by the committal service at Calvary Cemetery.
