San Joaquin County, CA — The vehicle of a Sacramento woman who went missing with her 8-month-old daughter last month has been discovered submerged in a central California canal, and authorities confirmed that the bodies of an adult and infant were recovered inside.
Victim and Infant Identified
According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Whisper Owen, 36, and her daughter, Sandra McCarty, were last seen on July 15 after visiting family in Fresno. The pair had been traveling home in a silver 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was last captured on a traffic camera in Atwater, just north of Fresno, a few hours after they left.
Family members in Elk Grove, Sacramento County, had been expecting them but did not realize Owen was missing for three days due to a miscommunication, relatives told CNN on July 28.
Vehicle Located by Dive Team
A non-profit dive team discovered a vehicle matching Owen’s description on Sunday in Oakdale, about 45 minutes north of Atwater, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office said.
“The bodies of an adult and infant were found in the vehicle,” the spokesperson confirmed. “The Medical Examiner’s Office will formally identify the bodies, but the family of the missing woman was at the dive site and identified the vehicle as hers.”
The vehicle was located in a waterway near Highway 120 and Victory Road in San Joaquin County, according to the Fresno Police Department, which is leading the investigation.
Investigation Underway
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol are investigating how the vehicle ended up submerged. Officials said:
“We have sent two Fresno PD detectives to the scene at Highway 120 and Victory Road to continue our investigation and work with the sheriff’s department regarding details of the recovery.”
Authorities are also providing support to the victims’ family:
“We continue to provide support to Whisper and Sandra’s family through our detectives and will also provide additional support to the family through our Fresno Police and Fire Chaplaincy.”
Circumstances Leading to Disappearance
Owen had been in Fresno for a routine checkup for the baby, her mother, Vickie Torres, said. They left the city around 5 p.m., intending to travel 158 miles back home before dark. Owen’s partner initially believed she had stayed behind to help her mother clean a recently purchased house. The missing persons report was filed after the family realized she had been gone for three days, according to her brother, Richard Owen.
Investigators are working to determine the events leading up to the vehicle entering the canal and the cause of death.
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