Body of Lodi man recovered from lake

This summer has already seen two deaths on Lake Camanche since the end of May.

On Saturday, the Amador County Sheriff ’s Department reported that the body of a Lodi man that had been missing for days was recovered near the north shore of the lake.

According to Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wagner, the sheriff ’s office received a call just before 9 p.m. last Tuesday from a female friend of Valentin Valencia-Ortiz, 24, of Lodi, after the friend saw Valencia-Ortiz go under the water while swimming.

Wagner said that Valencia Ortiz was swimming without a life vest.

According to Wagner, the sheriff ’s department began their search utilizing drones equipped with thermal imaging devices, sonar devices in their boats as well as searching the nearby shoreline. A dive team using sonar devices was deployed the following day.

The department began using helicopters on Friday, and by Saturday they used dogs to search the day-use area of the shore. Valencia-Ortiz’s body was recovered at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The cause of death is still unknown, although foul play is not suspected.

Wagner explained that Lake Camanche’s depths range from 6 to 60 feet, including a steep drop. Clearer areas of the water had 10 to 11 feet of visibility, while murkier portions had visibility as low as 3 feet.

In late May, Elk Grove teenager Emily Uyeno, 18, died in a watercraft collision on Lake Camanche days after graduating from high school, officials said.

A deputy was on boat patrol when he noticed two Jet Skis on the lake — and a man on one of the vessels waving for him for help, according to the Amador County Sheriff ’s Office.

When the deputy approached the two vessels, he saw Uyeno in the water.

The deputy lifted the unresponsive teen into his patrol boat and assisted the man, Uyeno's friend, aboard. He also began resuscitation efforts to try to save Uyeno's life, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.

The deputy piloted his patrol boat to the north shore marina. CPR continued before the arrival of medical personnel, who then transported her to the hospital.

A sheriff's investigation revealed that the watercraft being used by Uyeno and her friend collided, causing the teen to be thrown into the water.

Uyeno graduated from Rio Cazadero High School less than a week before her death, according to Tramaine Lott, a web communications specialist for the Elk Grove Unified School District.