Kaylee Molina’s husband has spoken out about the drowning that killed the 30-year-old Texas woman during their California vacation.
Roberto Clemente, 32, told The Post on Thursday that the moment a rogue wave swept his wife off the rocks at Sycamore Cove remains “fresh in my mind,” leaving him unable to sleep since the tragedy. The El Paso couple had been together for ten years.
The pair had spent the early morning hours of Wednesday taking photographs along the secluded Ventura County beach near Point Mugu. Images Clemente later shared showed them walking the shoreline, drinking beer and watching the sunrise in what he described as a romantic getaway turned nightmare.
Hours after those final pictures were taken, the couple was sitting on rocks near an underpass when the wave struck. Both were pulled into the Pacific Ocean. Clemente managed to reach shore and called 911 around 11:40 a.m., but first responders could not revive Molina. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Clemente was hospitalized with moderate injuries.
Molina, originally from Indio, California, had three siblings who launched a fundraiser to cover memorial costs and the transportation of her body back to Texas. “Our family is going through one of the most painful moments of our lives,” they wrote on the fundraising page.
“Born in July 1996, she had so much life ahead of her. She was one of four siblings, and her loss has left a heartbreak in our family that words cannot fully express.”
Clemente took to Facebook to address the loss publicly, writing that he “tragically lost my wife, my best friend, and my partner of 10 years.”
“What was supposed to be a beautiful trip together in California turned into something I never imagined I would have to experience.
“My heart is completely shattered, and I’m still struggling to process that she’s no longer here with us,” he continued.
He noted that donations would help give Molina “the beautiful farewell she deserves” and cover expenses related to moving her body. He ended the post with a final message to his wife: “Rest peacefully, my love. I will carry you in my heart forever.”
The drowning occurred as Hurricane Rachel generated dangerous conditions along the Southern California coast, bringing strong swells and heavy rainfall that damaged numerous homes in Long Beach and other coastal communities.
Clemente told The Post he remains haunted by the experience as he attempts to process the sudden loss of the woman he had spent a decade with.
