It was days later before the bodies of the three men were found
There is some devastating news released by police after search involving several missing hikers.
On Wednesday (June 18) three men went out hiking and the police received information that the men had gone into the water at Soda Springs.
After jumping off the Rattlesnake Falls in California, they never emerged.
The second group of three hikers, according to USA Today, was away and left the three hikers behind because of the remote location that they were in, where other members of the group had to be evacuated via helicopter on June 19.
Placer County Sherriff Office wrote in an issued statement: “Around 2.30 p.m. this afternoon, the Placer County Sheriff Office received a notice of three persons entering the water in the Heath Falls, Soda Springs area and that they have not resurfaced.”
They added: “Several resources have already been used to search, such as the Sheriff Office Dive Team, Search and Rescue teams, CAL FIRE Technical Rescue Team, and the CHP helicopter have all been deployed to search the area.
It is a very inaccessible place, and rescue workers have an uphill battle in reaching the terrain.
Since then, law enforcement has updated a few times. On the Thursday (June 19) they stated that their ongoing search efforts were to be delayed because of unfavorable weather conditions.
On Friday (June 20) the search was reinstated in a limited and continuing effort due to the unfavorable conditions. Police added: “Aerial surveys of the site and the general area will be carried out later in the next few days and as far as the wind conditions permit.
When the conditions are better, which is expected by Sunday, there is a coordinated operation planned to resume work on the site with additional equipment and assistance of mutual aid partners to extend the search.
Police on Sunday (June 22) confirmed that they recovered the bodies of the three missing hikers.
They wrote, “What a loss, we sincerely condole with their families and friends and the many who are also saddened with this.”
Both deceased were later identified as Matthew Schoenecker of Los Angeles, Matthew Anthony, of New York City, and Valentino Creus of Los Angeles.
Juan Heredia was also among the rescue divers to assist in the search of the hikers. He posted a video on Facebook of the hard conditions he and the other divers were fighting to overcome as they attempted to rescue the men out of the water.
They found 3 beautiful souls and now he or she can be finally put in rest in peace and their families can have closure and start the healing process,” he wrote on Sunday.
The cascade was inhuman. It kept knocking me down… but I was not getting off without those 3 souls considering their families back at home.”
Heredia continued that he and the rest of the rescue group took more than three hours to walk to the body of water.
The bodies would not have surface, he foretold, in ‘weeks’ unless they had dived to locate them.
