Trinity County authorities conducted a search and rescue operation for a baby's body, who was swept away in his father's arms after a four-door sedan turned from the highway to Trinity River.

The solo vehicle accident occurred on February 299 a.m. Thursday, two miles east of the big apartment campground, Keith Krick, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

He said a young couple from Lake Shasta were traveling in 2004’s Lexus ES 330, with their nine-month-old baby in the back seat when the vehicle suddenly turned from the road to the embankment and into the fast-moving river.

Crick said the unknown driver was a 21-year-old woman's speed, or caused her to lose control of the vehicle. He said drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash.

He said the woman and her partner, a 19-year-old man, caught the baby's son from the sunken vehicle, and the young boy tried to escape as he swept out of his father's arms.

"So, at some point, the child was handed over from one person to another, and it was the last time either party remembers to see the child," Crick said.

He said his parents suffered minor injuries. Crick said his father did not wear a seat belt at the time of the crash. CHP refuses to name parents.

one GoFundMe page Because the family was founded by Michelle Huskey, who told Northern California Action News Now She is the baby's aunt. Husky said the child was named Oliver Evergreen Cox.

Huskey told the news that the family was returning from a beach trip when the car crashed into the river. She said Oliver's mother was able to unbundle the baby, but after passing the baby to his father, he was swept into the electric current.

The couple and the flooded vehicles were discovered by California Highway Patrol helicopters, but efforts to find the children were unsuccessful, Crick said.

The search and rescue team from the Trinity County Sheriff's Office continued its search Friday, but as of 12 p.m., they were unable to find the toddler.

In a "Triath County Community" Facebook group, people expressed condolences and prayed to their families. Others said they believed the accident was a warning that obstacles should be placed next to the roads along the river.

Search and Recovery Diving Coach Juan Heredia in video Posted on Facebook He dived into the river and found the car, but the current was strong. Because the rear windows of the vehicle were damaged, he thought "the baby was matched with the current."

"1,000% of people are sure that the baby is not inside the car," he said in the video.

Heredia and Huskey did not immediately respond to a request for comment via email on Saturday morning. The Centers for Health Protection and the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office also did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

This river is a popular place for wandering this time of year - fast moving and dangerous. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, which tracks the flow of rivers, the water flows at 3,480 cubic feet at the time of crashes and locations.

Crick said an investigation into the crash is underway.