‘I Wish I Could Turn Back Time’: Widow Mourns Drowning Death Of Father Of Three

Armando Torres died on the day his daughter Kelcey was born.

“I wish we could turn back time,” said Gabriela Torres, Armando’s commonlaw wife and the mother of his three children.

The family of five had gone to Elephant Butte Lake to celebrate Easter Saturday and Kelcey’s seventh birthday. Armando had wanted to take a dip in the lake. He jumped in and began swimming to a nearby marina. Halfway through he started drowning. Park officials said the water was dangerously cold that day at 58 degrees.

“(Kelcey) just shouted ‘Papi, papi, papi’,” said Mrs. Torres. “My son Jorge stared at the water.”

Mrs. Torres said boats went to the area in the lake where her husband was last seen minutes after they called 911. However, no one actually went inside the water until state police divers arrived almost our hours later. “By that time it was too late,” said Torres.

Now the couple’s three children, the youngest just three years old, are forced to face feelings no child should endure. “My papi loved me,” said Kelcey.

Mrs. Torres said she worries for her children’s future. She is taking them to therapy, but has had to stop working in order to take care of them. She said she and her husband used to take turns watching the children while the other was at work. Now that he’s gone, she’s concerned about being able to make the mortgage payments on their home.

Making matters worse, the family van just broke down. An ABC-7 viewer contacted us shortly after the story first ran and offered to help them fix the van.

Park officials said the tragic accident serves as a reminder to park-goers that they should always wear life jackets and be aware of the water temperature before diving in.