One boater still missing
As the search for a final missing boater drags into its sixth day, authorities have said little about what caused Saturday’s crash on the Colorado River.
The search for a fourth and final boater missing since a crash in recreational waters on the Arizona-California border dragged into its sixth day Thursday, while authorities have said little about who was at fault and what exactly preceded the crash.
No citations have been issued pending the outcome of an investigation, said Anita Mortensen, spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff ’s Office, which is leading the search. Officials have said waning daylight and the lack of life jackets were contributors.
“The collision is still under investigation,” Mortensen told The Arizona Republic Thursday. “All of the contributing factors will be released once the investigation is complete.”
A recreational boat and another vessel crashed shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday, ejecting more than a dozen people who were onboard before sinking on a well-traveled stretch of the Colorado River, authorities said previously.
It happened between two marinas and near Moabi Regional Park, a popular recreation area crowded with people who were enjoying the Labor Day weekend. Nine people were injured, and as both boats sank, passers-by pulled some of the victims from the water.
But four people went missing, spurring a massive search that has evolved into a body recovery mission. While three bodies have been found, one more person — Raegan Heitzig of Ventura, California — was unaccounted for Thursday.
“It is our deepest desire to provide a measure of closure for the family and all involved,” Sheriff Doug Schuster wrote in a statement this week. “We will continue to do everything within our means to do so and pray for a speedy resolution.”
Christine Lewis, 51, a nurse at Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, California, was found deceased in the river downstream of Topock at about 7:30 a.m. Monday, the sheriff’s office said.
The next day, the body of Brian Grabowski, 50, of Tulare, California, was pulled from the river around 9 a.m. Tuesday. Three hours later, at about 12:35 p.m., crews recovered the body of 24-year-old Kirra Drury of Ventura, California.
The search continues for Heitzig, who is Grabowski’s niece, according to a GoFundMe set up for Raegan and her sister Jordan, who survived the crash
with injuries. A family friend had also set up a GoFundMe for Kirra Drury.
A Facebook post from Social Tap Ventura, a restaurant where Raegan has worked, said: “Keeping the love alive. Thinking about our baby girl, Rae Rae. We love you forever.”
None of the boaters wore life jackets, which aren’t required but are recommended by authorities, Schuster has said.
For searchers, Thursday started much like the other days since the crash.
Teams gathered for a 6:30 a.m. briefing, where they talked about areas to focus on and other developments.
Helicopters and drones again buzzed the sky, looking for any surface-level clues, and coordinated with boats that patrolled miles of shoreline in the area. Divers again combed the river’s waters, and searchers used sonar to help paint a picture below the surface: the river ranges in depth from shallow to 30 feet in that area.
The river itself has not been closed, though traffic in designated search areas has been halted in recent days to accommodate emergency efforts. Among those involved are crews from Arizona and California, including teams from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.
“I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support of all involved, especially for the family of those who were and are missing,” Schuster wrote in a statement Tuesday. “Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
“I would like to assure everyone that we have not lessened our efforts and we will remain steadfast. Ongoing search efforts will remain in effect until we locate Raegan.”