The body of a woman has been identified after having gone missing for 11 days following a dune buggy crash into a canal, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said.
Lupita Lizbeth Zuniga-Ontiveros, 21, of Stockton, is confirmed to be the deceased woman discovered on Feb. 8 in the Delta-Mendota Canal in the area of Whitworth Road and Cottonwood Road near Gustine.
According to the sheriff’s office, Zuniga-Ontiveros was involved in an early morning accident on Jan. 28 on Highway 140. The RZR off-road vehicle she and three other passengers were riding in crashed into the canal. The driver of the vehicle and two other passengers were able to escape the canal, the sheriff’s office said. Zuniga-Ontiveros went missing.
The sheriff’s office conducted multiple search efforts by air, land and water. The agency also received assistance from family members and friends of Zuniga-Ontiveros.
The body was found seven miles from the accident site by the California Highway Patrol, who were investigating the accident.
The CHP informed the sheriff’s office of the recovered body.
The Merced County Coroner’s Office received the body and was able to identify Zuniga-Ontiveros.
Through social media, the sheriff’s office issued its condolences.
The agency wrote, “Our thoughts are with Lupita’s family and loved ones during this tragic time.”
