STOCKTON, Calif. — San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies launched an underwater robot into the Whiskey Slough, a rural waterway just east of Stockton. Minutes later, they pulled a man's body out of the water.
The man has not yet been identified.
The discovery appeared to halt the search for a missing boater last seen in the area Saturday evening. Deputies said the boater jumped out of the boat while it was going nearly 35 miles per hour and never resurfaced.
First responders were initially called to the area around 6 p.m. Saturday, abruptly disturbing the peace that San Joaquin County resident Maria Mendoza usually expects in the area.
“We don’t see a lot of loud music or hear anything. It’s very peaceful," Mendoza said. ”I know it’s the delta but it’s quiet and we like it there. We always go there.”
Mendoza was along the slough's banks fishing and eating dinner with family when the intense and urgent search efforts began.
“We saw police and then another police, then the sheriff, and then at the end, the helicopter... There were divers searching underwater," Mendoza said. “It’s devastating to me. It’s sad to know that something like that could happen. We don’t know the reason, but I’m sorry for their loss. It really touched me.”
While much remains unclear about the circumstances surrounding the drowning, Mendoza hopes it can teach others an important lesson.
“Never let your kids in (the river). Even if it's at the edge of the canal, you don't know how deep it is," Mendoza said. "When we go, it's not going to be the same, I know, thinking somebody drowned in there. But I'll be praying every time I go now."
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