A woman has reportedly drowned into the sea at Portuguese Beach north of Bodega Bay Saturday afternoon when she and her fiancé tried to rescue one of their dogs from the big waves.

The Sonoma County Fire Department said it received a call at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday and the one who called reported a body washing ashore near Scotty's Beach north of Bodega Bay. The corpse was identified as 19-year-old Ann Madden, of Petaluma.

A Bodega Fire Department also said it received a call about the body on shore at Scotty's Beach.

The Coast Guard received the call about the drowned person at 12:51 p.m. on Saturday, said Petty Officer Jonathan Silley. She added that the incident happened as the woman's fiancé, Grant Korte, and Madden were walking their dogs on the beach, when a powerful wave hit one of their dogs.

The first one to jump in the water and try to rescue the dog was Korte, a 24-year-old Coast Guard petty officer first class. When she saw her fiancé struggling to rescue the dog, Ann decided to give him a hand. It was the wrong choice that led to her drowning. Korte managed to get out of the deadly waves.

The dog caught by the sleeper waves – a black Labrador - also made it alive from, Coast Guard officials said.

Korte immediately alerted a State Parks Ranger about the incident and he called the Coast Guard Station at nearby Bodega Bay. The Coast Guard sent search crews to rescue the young woman, but, despite searching 29.7 square nautical miles with two 47-foot motor lifeboats and an HH-65 helicopter, it was all in vane.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department joined the rescue efforts with a Henry-1 helicopter, but they did not find Ann Madden. The search operations were ended at 6 p.m. Saturday and Ann became the first drowning victim off the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts in 2008, said the Coast Guard. Let’s hope she is also the last one.

Silley added that there was another incident caused by the sneaker or sleeper waves in California over the weekend. There was another tragic accident reported in Southern California.
"We just want people to be aware, obviously, of rogue waves," he said.

Marin beaches, Rodeo Beach near Sausalito and Ten Mile Beach near Point Reyes are the most dangerous areas when it comes to sleeper waves.

"We've seen pets and we've seen people, and it's not always been a good ending. It's a very real event and people need to take some simple precautions, and it doesn't have to ruin your time on the beach,” said John Dell'Osso, a spokesman for the Point Reyes National Seashore.