Pastor may have taken final photo of five adults who drowned in Ohio's Scioto River

A Baptist pastor says he may have unknowingly taken the final photograph of five adults moments before they drowned in Ohio's Scioto River, a haunting image that has left him replaying the tragedy in his mind.

Marcus L. Martin, who has spent a decade boating on the river, said he immediately felt uneasy when he spotted the group wading into a stretch of water he has long known to be dangerous.

"I just remember being taught that that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes" and a sudden drop-off into deep water, Martin said.

Years earlier, he had warned two young people playing in the same spot to "be very careful."

Martin saw five adults standing in hip- and waist-deep water while two children remained on the grassy riverbank, matching the description later provided by Delaware County authorities. He and his family continued boating but, when they passed the area again about two hours later and saw the group still in the river, he felt compelled to snap a picture.

"I don't know what it was," Martin said. "I said, I just need to capture this picture."

Now he fears that image may be the last photograph ever taken of the five victims while they were still alive.

"I believe the picture I took may have been the last picture of them being alive," he said.

Martin said he considered warning the group but was separated by several other boats and believed trying to reach them could have created more confusion. Since learning of the drownings, he said he has struggled to sleep, calling the experience "surreal."

According to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer, investigators believe one adult got into trouble in the water, prompting the others to jump in to help. Instead, all five were pulled beneath the surface and drowned. Two women's bodies were recovered Sunday, while the remaining three victims were found the following day.

Martin said he tried to share the photograph with investigators and a reporter at the scene after the tragedy, but initially found little interest. Although authorities have not verified the image or identified everyone pictured, Martin said he is convinced it shows the victims because people rarely swim or fish in that section of the river.

Honduran officials confirmed Tuesday that four of the five victims were Honduran citizens, including Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, and his wife, Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28. The second couple and the fifth victim have not yet been publicly identified. Honduran authorities are working with U.S. officials to return the bodies home, a process expected to take at least a month.

The tragedy also left behind two children, ages 8 and 10, whose parents were among those who died. The siblings were initially placed in the custody of Ohio child welfare authorities and are now expected to be reunited with relatives in Honduras.