On Sunday, the Arroyo Seco River turned grim when a kayaker spotted a vehicle partially submerged in the water south of Monterey, triggering a search that ended with the recovery of a man's body about a half-mile downstream. Deputies initially found the car hanging over a cliff edge, and early aerial sweeps did not turn up anyone inside. The Monterey County coroner has not yet released the man's name or cause of death.
How the search unfolded
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the kayaker called authorities around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday after seeing the partially submerged vehicle in the Arroyo Seco. When deputies arrived, they found the car perched over the cliff's edge and called in help from a California Highway Patrol helicopter and a Greenfield Police Department drone. Despite the extra eyes in the sky, the aerial searches did not locate anyone in or around the vehicle that evening.
Crews returned yesterday and lowered a sheriff's dive team down the cliff on a rope to reach the car. Divers checked the vehicle but did not find anyone inside.
Terrain and resources
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office operates specialized dive and air-patrol units for water and cliff rescues, and deputies used both during this response, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. The Arroyo Seco, a tributary of the Salinas River, is known for its steep banks and tight channels, features that can make it difficult to spot people or vehicles from the air and can slow recovery work, per Wikipedia.
Recovery and investigation
After several hours of searching on Monday, deputies found a man's body roughly a half-mile downstream from the submerged vehicle and used a police helicopter to recover him, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The cause of the crash and the cause of death remain under investigation.
The case highlights how one person on the water can change the course of a search in a remote stretch of river. Officials say they plan to release more information once the coroner has completed the review.
