Body of Buena Park rapper, swept away by Kern River, found

BUENA PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- The body of a Buena Park rapper, who was swept away by the Kern River, has been found.

Michael Ramirez, of hip-hop group Rebellion Warfare, was on a camping trip to celebrate his birthday at Lake Isabella when he disappeared June 22.

A camper found a body on Saturday. Ramirez's girlfriend, Erica Zambada, told reporters on Sunday that the Kern County coroner's office confirmed the body belonged to Ramirez.

Zambada told the Orange County Register that Ramirez decided to take a dip, but the current began taking him downstream.

"It was 115 degrees," Zambada told the newspaper. "Michael jumped in to cool down. He's a fish -- he loves to swim. He said, 'The water is calm.' But then an undercurrent swept him away."

Christ Caballero, Ramirez's partner in Rebellion Warfare, told the publication that he reacted quickly, plunging in and attempting to reach his friend.

"I got within a foot of him, but pockets of current acted like a suction, pulling him under," Caballero, who lives in Anaheim, told the Register. "I saw his head bob up one more time, and then I didn't see him again."

Zambada said rescuers got there within 10 minutes but couldn't find him.

City News Service contributed to this report.