King County medical examiners identified the drowning victim recovered on July 27 from the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River as an Issaquah teen.

Samantha W. Spigel, 17, who had been swimming with friends, was initially reported missing in an area of the river with difficult terrain.

Rescue crews were able to locate the group she was with and found Spigel soon after. The process to retrieve her body from the river took more than four hours and multiple crews from Snoqualmie, Eastside Fire and Rescue, Redmond and Bellevue Fire Departments and the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Two people were also treated for minor injuries sustained in attempting to rescue the girl.

In a statement released to local news outlets, Spigel’s family called the 17-year-old a “gifted student, loyal friend and faithful Sunday school teacher” at her family’s Bellevue temple. Going into her senior year at Skyline High School, Spigel was in the Running Start program at Bellevue College and also worked part-time as a Starbucks barista.

“She was a determined, exuberant young woman,” her family stated. “She had very big dreams, aspiring to earn a law degree to work as an advocate for children.”