Two women went missing from a jet ski at Sand Hollow Reservoir on Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday one person was in custody as search crews combed the southern end of the popular Washington County reservoir. Officials said neither woman was wearing a life jacket, and alcohol is being considered as a possible factor in their disappearance.
The women were reported missing at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, as reported by KSL.com. They were last seen riding a jet ski in the southern portion of the reservoir, a detail confirmed by KUTV. KSL.com reported that the women were not wearing life jackets when they vanished.
By Wednesday, KSL.com had published a follow-up report stating that a person had been arrested for investigation of automobile homicide in connection with the case, and that this person was already in custody in relation to the women's disappearances, per the Utah Department of Natural Resources. The station's earlier report had similarly noted that police had one person in custody in relation to the disappearance, and that alcohol may be a contributing factor.
Search Crews Focus on South Beach
Crews from the Hurricane Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team have been assisting in the search, according to the same KUTV report. Officials have asked the public to avoid the operational area at South Beach while the investigation remains ongoing, KUTV noted, a request the Utah Department of Natural Resources reiterated as search efforts continued.
As of an ABC4 report, the two women had not yet been located. Sand Hollow Reservoir, a popular boating and jet-skiing destination near Hurricane in southern Utah, draws heavy weekend and weekday traffic, and the South Beach area remains closed off as search-and-rescue teams work the water.
A Similar Case Ended in Tragedy at Willard Bay
The Sand Hollow search echoes a case from northern Utah earlier this year. In late May, a 27-year-old man was reported missing after he was last seen on a personal watercraft at Willard Bay Reservoir, according to a separate ABC4 report. Search-and-rescue agencies and law enforcement responded to the scene and searched for him through the night.
Officials located the missing swimmer's body around 5:50 p.m. the following day, ABC4 reported. He was identified as Isaac Makiquema Vasquez, of Ecuador. A DNR law-enforcement captain said officials believed Vasquez was not wearing a life jacket, and ABC4 noted that the incident remained under investigation.
It is not yet known whether the Sand Hollow search will end differently. Investigators have not said whether the two missing women have been located, and the person taken into custody has not been publicly identified in the available reporting.
