Authorities recovered the body of Isaiah Sanchez, 22, on Monday, about 100 yards from where he was last seen going underwater in Lake Cachuma on July 11. Some boaters saw what they thought was a body and called 9-1-1, said Sheriff’s spokesperson Kelly Hoover. County park rangers, Sheriff’s deputies, and a detective from the coroner’s office responded to the call and positively identified Sanchez at the scene. How and why Sanchez, of El Rio, died is still being investigated, Hoover continued.
At around 8 p.m. on 7/11, Sanchez and a friend went into the water — reportedly trying to swim to shore — after their boat experienced engine troubles. Officials searched for Sanchez for several hours that night but had to call off their search due to poor visibility; members of the Sheriff’s Dive Team continued searching the next day — going as far down as 80 feet — but had to stop again due to visibility issues. In the days since, the county’s Air Support Unit has conducted frequent flyovers, assisted by park rangers searching with sonar equipment, lifeguards looking out, and County Fire officers patrolling shallow areas on jet skis.