Searchers drained Tuolumne lake where man went missing in 2016. They found no remains
An extraordinary search has ended in Tuolumne County with no sign of a man missing since 2016.
Searchers drained Crystal Falls Lake, a small impoundment near Twain Harte, in the belief that the remains of Troy Galloway might be there.
The two-month operation ended Wednesday, June 30, without any remains being found, the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Draining a lake for a search is not a common practice, Deputy Niccoli Sandelin said by email Friday. It was done in this case in part because the lake was already scheduled for a maintenance closure. And the cost to taxpayers was minimal thanks to donated goods and volunteers.
Missing man lived near lake
Galloway was 34 when he went missing on Jan. 13, 2016. He lived in the Crystal Falls Ranch subdivision, where residents have access to two lakes for swimming.
Galloway left a wife and two children, one an infant at the time, the other a toddler. He was a veteran of the Marine Corps and had suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the Union Democrat newspaper reported.
The Sheriff’s Office said its earlier investigation suggests that Galloway “entered the water and was never seen exiting” on that winter day.
That statement was in an April 9 letter to the Crystal Falls Ranch Homeowners Association. It agreed to coordinate its maintenance closure with the search.
Tiny compared with other lakes
Crystal Falls Lake has about three surface acres when full, tiny for such bodies of water. Naraghi Lake, which sits amid homes in northeast Modesto, is 13 acres. Don Pedro Reservoir, a key water source for the area, spreads across 12,960 acres when full.
Crystal Falls Lake was created via a small dam on Sullivan Creek, a tributary to the Tuolumne River. The site is about a mile north of Highway 108 and two miles west of Twain Harte.
The Sheriff’s Office tried earlier to find the remains in the full lake with a submersible sonar device, without success.
The draining started in late April. An outlet was opened to allow the water to flow into the lower creek, under the supervision of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
It took several weeks for the lakebed to dry out enough for searchers to do their work. Starting in mid-June, they sifted through the dirt with excavators and other equipment. They used ground-penetrating radar to look under the surface.
Forensic anthropologists at Chico State University brought their expertise in identifying human remains. They have worked in many places around the state, including the horrific 2018 fire in nearby Paradise.
Despite all of this effort, Galloway’s remains could not be found. The Sheriff’s Office ended the search but continues the investigation. The lake will refill with the storm season starting in the fall.
Cost to sheriff was low
Sandelin, the Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said its only costs during the search were detective salaries and the heavily discounted rental of the radar device.
Everything else was donated by local supporters:
- Lovett Excavation, equipment and operators
- Black Oak Casino, lodging and dinners for volunteers
- The Outpost, breakfast and lunch
- Safeway, beverages
- Calaveras County sheriff, sonar device.
“We would also like to thank the Crystal Falls Ranch Home Owners association for their patience and understanding,” the Facebook post said.
Galloway’s case was one of about 20 highlighted at a 2016 event called Tuolumne County Missing Persons Awareness Day. It took place at Columbia State Historic Park and involved disappearances dating to 1980, Modesto Bee columnist Jeff Jardine wrote.
The Union Democrat reports that Galloway had a more recent tribute, at a Memorial Day event in Twain Harte.
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 7:30 AM.
