The body of a woman missing in Sequoia National Park has been recovered, two months after she was swept away by fast-moving water in the Kaweah River.
Jomarie Calasanz, 26, of La Puente, California, was with friends and family on May 25 when she disappeared into the water near Paradise Creek Bridge in the foothills of the park. A search was launched at the time but later scaled back due to unsafe river conditions and challenging terrain.
Since then, crews from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service continued to conduct check the area with drones and ground and water searches.
The search ramped up again in July with a water K9 team from the California Office of Emergency Services, as well as underwater camera and sonar technologies, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. That effort narrowed in on a point on the river less than a mile below where Calasanz was last seen.
Water flows slowed enough on July 24 that divers were able to recover the body. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office confirmed on Monday that it was Calasanz.
“I am extremely grateful for the coordination, support, and determination by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and our NPS team, in the continued search for Jomarie,” park superintendent Clay Jordan said. “I hope this brings some level of closure to the family.”
The park, famous for its iconic giant trees, is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Kings Canyon National Park is adjacent. Waterways in the area can always be dangerous, but turn especially swift and cold in spring when snowmelt runs off from higher elevations.
An analysis of data from 2014 to 2019 showed that drowning was the second leading cause of accidental deaths in national parks. Most people that drown never intended to get in the water, the Park Service says, and even strong swimmers have been swept away.
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