Search and Rescue stages on Sunday, November 24th. Photo courtesy of Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
PLACER COUNTY — On Monday, November 25th, The Placer County Sheriff’s Office recovered the bodies of two fishermen who were presumably drowned in the American River on Saturday, November 23rd. The two men were seen to have been swept away without resurfacing at around 7 PM. One was swept away after entering the water, while the other was similarly swept away attempting to help the first. The call notifying the Placer County Sheriff’s Office of the incident was made just before 9 PM on Saturday.
The Sheriff’s Office quickly responded by doing an overhead search by helicopter in the dark. Due to the darkness and river flow, however, a dive team was not able to enter the water; instead, a search was made from the shore with no results. In a collaboration between the Sheriff’s Office and CAL FIRE, 18 searchers and two K9 teams conducted search and rescue operations on Sunday, November 24th, and the dive team was able to enter the water.
The two men’s bodies were found and recovered on Monday downstream from where the incident had taken place. They were discovered by a Placer County Sheriff’s Office Drone Operator. Due to the strong current, a complex pulley and rope system was used to remove the bodies from the middle of the river.