The tranquil waters of the Arkansas River near Leonard, Oklahoma, became the somber backdrop for a heartrending tragedy that claimed the lives of 46-year-old Leila Seyed Faraji and her 7-year-old daughter, Rosa Faraji. On Monday, April 21, 2025, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the recovery of their bodies, concluding a grueling multi-agency search that began the previous day. The loss has left a family shattered and a community in mourning, underscoring the unpredictable dangers of nature’s fury.
The Faraji family, residents of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, had set out on Sunday afternoon to visit friends in the rural area near Bixby, about 25 miles southeast of Tulsa. Unfamiliar with the terrain, they took a wrong turn onto a low-lying bridge over a creek swollen by days of relentless rain. The region had been battered by a historic weather event, with the Oklahoma Mesonet reporting nearly five inches of rainfall from Friday through Sunday. As the family’s Cadillac Escalade attempted to cross the bridge near 17700 E. Highway 64, the raging floodwaters overwhelmed the vehicle, sweeping it away in a matter of moments.
Inside the SUV were Leila, Rosa, the father, and their 10-year-old daughter. The father and the older daughter managed to escape the vehicle as it was engulfed, scrambling to higher ground and safety. Tragically, Leila and Rosa remained trapped inside as the torrent carried the vehicle downstream. Emergency services were alerted at approximately 4:38 p.m. on Sunday, prompting an immediate response from the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Bixby Fire Department, and other local agencies.
The search for Leila and Rosa was a testament to the region’s commitment to its people. Over 100 responders, including swift water rescue teams, drone operators, and canine units from Oklahoma Task Force 1, scoured the Arkansas River and its banks. Tulsa Police Department helicopters provided aerial support, while ground crews navigated treacherous terrain on foot and in utility vehicles. Boats from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol patrolled the river’s murky waters. The operation paused Sunday night due to darkness and hazardous conditions but resumed with urgency at 6:30 a.m. on Monday.
At 9:00 a.m., an Oklahoma Highway Patrol boat crew located Leila’s body approximately 300 yards south of the command center off Highway 64. The discovery was a somber milestone, but the search continued for Rosa, who was last seen wearing green. Just after 5:00 p.m., the same boat crew found the young girl’s body, bringing the exhaustive effort to a close. The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office expressed profound gratitude to the agencies involved, including the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office, Bixby Police, Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police, and the American Red Cross, among others.
Casey Roebuck, Communications Director for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, captured the weight of the tragedy: “You have a family of four that, in a matter of seconds, became a family of two. They’re devastated, mourning the loss of a mother and a child. Our hearts go out to them.” She noted that the recovery, though heartbreaking, offered the surviving family members a measure of closure. “They can now honor their customs and begin the process of laying their loved ones to rest,” Roebuck said.
The incident was part of a broader wave of severe weather that claimed at least five lives across Oklahoma that weekend. In Moore, near Oklahoma City, a mother and her 12-year-old son perished when their vehicle was swept into a creek. The storms, described by Moore police as a “historical weather event,” triggered dozens of high-water incidents and left communities grappling with the aftermath. In Tulsa County, flood warnings remained in effect for rivers like the Caney and Illinois, with minor agricultural flooding reported.
As the Faraji family navigates this unimaginable loss, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office has called on the public to keep them in their thoughts. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by flooded roadways, a leading cause of weather-related fatalities in Oklahoma. For now, the community holds its breath, honoring the memory of Leila and Rosa while supporting those left behind in their grief.