The body of a seven-year-old boy was discovered off the coast of Monterey County, days after his mother died in a suspected drowning incident, authorities confirmed.

The tragedy unfolded Wednesday evening, when a person passing through Moss Landing Harbor found a three-year-old boy alone at the beach around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The toddler told the good Samaritan that his mother was missing, which sparked a search, according to Mercury News. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office told SFGATE that witnesses saw the woman floating in the water, appearing unresponsive.

The woman, identified as 27-year-old Florencia Ramirez, was transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. During the investigation, officials learned that the toddler had a brother (and that Ramirez had another young son) who was missing and likely in the water.

The San Francisco Coast Guard launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat boat crew and brought in helicopter aircrew to assist in the search, according to a press release.

The search for the seven-year-old boy was suspended due to darkness, but resumed at sunrise, SFGATE reported. After an exhaustive search that lasted several days, divers recovered the body of the missing seven-year-old boy on Saturday in the 10-feet deep near Moss Landing's boat launch.

The 7-year-old boy and his 3-year-old brother had apparently asked their mother to visit the beach on Wednesday before the tragedy, according to a GoFundMe for the family.

The incident is still under investigation by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, who are trying to determine the sequence of events that led to the suspected drowning of both family members.

Image via U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.