Monterey County officials return from helping with search in Mariposa County
Members of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team returned Monday after responding to a call for assistance in a swift water search in Mariposa County.
Though they have been cleared, as of Monday more than 70 people continued the search for a missing man and woman believed to have been swept away by swift flood waters last week.
“Unfortunately, due to the force of this storm, we do presume both deceased,” said Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kristie Mitchell.
According to the Modesto Bee, 67-year-old John Honesto of Don Pedro, was reported missing to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office at 10 p.m. Thursday by his wife, when he didn’t return home from work.
The missing woman is 72-year-old Carol Brown, of Catheys Valley. She left her home at about 5 p.m. Thursday to check on how horses were faring in the rain and flooding. When she didn’t return after about 30 minutes, her husband started to look for her and found the utility vehicle she was driving lying on its side in a creek that had become more like a river.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office was among multiple entities helping in the search. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has been assisted by agencies including: Tuolumne County Sheriff, Madera County Sheriff, Kern County Sheriff, Fresno County Sheriff, Merced County Sheriff, Stanislaus County Sheriff, Calaveras County Sheriff, California Highway Patrol H40 Helicopter, CARDA Rescue and Cadaver Dogs, California Office of Emergency Services, and CALFIRE.
