March 14: Charles Henry Burson, 19, Ridgecrest. Reported missing near Remington Hot Springs along the Kern River. Burson was found on May 8; positively identified by dental records.
May 27: Oscar Lima, 16, Los Angeles. The decedent was swimming in the lake near his camp at Boulder Gulch, Lake Isabella, when according to a witness, he was swept away by the current. Lima was located by rescue teams and transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
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June 13: Scott Neacato, 22,Norco. Reported missing near Ant Canyon (Tulare County), approximately 10 miles north of Kernville. Inflatable raft overturned, not wearing life jacket. Still missing, presumed drowned.
June 22: Philip Pryor, 55, Redondo Beach. Reported missing when he had not returned from a fishing trip. Body recovered June 28, at Mile Marker 33.5 on Hwy 178 in Kern Canyon.
June 24: Arne Lauritsen, 53, Palmdale. Reported missing from Gold Ledge Campground (Tulare County), approximately seven miles north of Kernville. Body recovered June 25.
June 26: Daniel Kilgore, 57, Thousand Oaks. Witnesses heard calls for help and saw Kilgore swept downstream, but lost sight of him in the rapids between Sandy Flat and Hobo Flat Campgrounds. Kilgore’s family reported he was not wearing a life vest. His body was recovered July 3.
July 2: Moises Aguilar, 31, Panorama City. Witnesses reported seeing Aguilar, who was not wearing a life jacket, jump into the Kern River near Keyesville north campround. Body recovered.
July 2: David Medina, 44, Montibello. Last seen in the Kern River below Sandy Flat Day Use area. Friends said he was not wearing a life jacket. Search and Rescue crews have not located Medina. He is considered missing and presumed drowned.
July 3: Amilcar Guardado, 37, Los Angeles. Witnesses said he was swimming without a life jacket in the Kern River near Keyesville north campground area, and attempted to grab onto a rock and was swept downstream. The victim was pulled from the water and transported to Kern Valley Hospital where he later died.
July 9: Hector Salinas, 29, of Los Angeles, was playing volleyball in the Kern River at Upper Richbar Campground Area with friends. He was not wearing a life jacket. While retrieving the ball he was swept underwater. He was located, brought to shore, and airlifted to Kern Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
July 10: Kristhian Fonseca, 25, of Los Angeles, was reported missing by family members Sunday morning west of Live Oak campground. Fonseca reportedly was seen leaving camp about 2:00 a.m. to go fishing in the Kern River. No one saw Fonseca enter the river but Kern County Sheriff’s deputies feared it was a possibility and dispatched Search and Rescue to assist. At 3:50 p.m. Fonseca had not been located and the search was suspended. The investigation is ongoing.
Reported Rescues
June 25: Kern Valley Search and Rescue crews rescued two Palmdale boys trapped on the north side of the river near Sandy Flat. The boys, who were wearing life jackets, were pulled to safety. Neither boy was injured.
July 3: Just after 10:00 p.m., subjects stranded in the Kern River about five miles inside the Kern Canyon. Oscar Lopez, 13, Compton, was camping on the river with family members. He went swimming in the river, was caught in the current and carried down stream. Two other family members, Edwin Rodriguez, 18, and Pedro Saldavar, 30, entered the river in an effort to rescue Oscar. None of the parties was wearing a life vest. Search and Rescue units used a raft to retrieve the three subjects. There were no injuries.
Comments
7 comment(s)Jewels wrote on Jul 20, 2011 2:16 PM:
My condolensces to those that lost loved ones in drownings. I hope there will be no more loss. "
Hormones wrote on Jul 18, 2011 8:56 PM:
CO wrote on Jul 16, 2011 8:19 PM:
CO wrote on Jul 15, 2011 10:56 AM:
Brian J wrote on Jul 13, 2011 6:51 PM:
What am I missing here? "
Ash wrote on Jul 13, 2011 11:57 AM:
Such a shame that people don't note take caution in an environment they may not be familiar with and the result is tragedy. People in the Valley are aware of the dangers of the Kern River. I tell people all the time, who are not from the area, to be wary of the river. It can take your life if you don't respect how dangerous it is.
People should be able to have fun, but they need to make themselves aware of the risks. "
C.F wrote on Jul 13, 2011 10:51 AM: