Emotional vigil held for 2 best friends found dead in LA River

CYPRESS PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A vigil was held in Cypress Park on Monday for two students found dead in the Los Angeles River.

Family members and friends of the two teenagers, 15-year-old Gustavo Ramirez and 16-year-old Carlos Jovel, gathered to honor their memory.

Many were also present wanting answers about how the teens ended up in the water.

"I just want to know what happened or why they did this...I just want to see him one more time," cried Griselda Ramirez, Gustavo's sister.

Police received a call on Friday reporting two people in the river, but when a search was conducted, nothing was found and the caller never responded back to authorities.

Family members said the two teens were at the river with two other friends that day. Later that night, the teens' parents reported the two boys missing.

"At that point, they started to think that there might have been a connection between the two individuals reported in the river, the missing 15 and 16-year-old, and they began a very extensive search," said Det. Meghan Aguilar of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Jovel didn't know how to swim and if he needed help, Ramirez would have surly tried to save him as the pair were best friends.

"This is something that I was hoping it would never happen to me," said Jovel's father in tears.

An autopsy was being performed to determine an exact cause of death, but investigators said they do not believe foul play was a factor.