Tuolumne County identifies 2 who drowned in New Melones on Father’s Day
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has identified two people who drowned on Father’s Day in New Melones Lake.
The bodies of 62-year-old Oakland resident Lonnie Jackson and 40-year-old Markese Deance of Pittsburg, California, were recovered following an apparent swimming incident around 4 p.m. June 20, Tuolumne sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Nicco Sandelin said. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the recovery.
A third person drowned a day earlier in Lake Don Pedro, but the depth of the water and obstacles in the area hindered recovery efforts. This person’s identity has not yet been released because the body hasn’t been recovered.
Other drownings and near drownings since the beginning of May have been reported in the county at Gods Bath, Rainbow Pools, New Melones and Don Pedro.
Other recent area incidents include a Salida man drowning in a Bay Area boating incident and man pulled from the Modesto Reservoir without a pulse.
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 5:24 AM.
