For Immediate Release

Sergeant Anthony Prencipe

On September 17, 2018, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit recovered a body from a depth of 1,062 feet in Lake Tahoe. The recovery was made while searching for a missing person, who reportedly drowned the week prior. The decedent has been positively identified as 33 year old Chaitanya Datla of Cameron Park, Ca, the missing person from last week. Next of kin notifications have been made.

This search and recovery effort was unprecedented in Lake Tahoe due to the extreme depths and the technology needed to facilitate this type of recovery. The technology, an underwater remote operated vehicle, was recently donated to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office by a local resident and they graciously offered their assistance to El Dorado County. The Douglas County deputies recently completed ROV and SONAR training with Bruce’s Legacy, a non-profit search and recovery group out of Wisconsin that was instrumental in other recoveries around the region and nation.

South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Marine 17 responded to assist Douglas County Sheriff Marine 7 with recovery. The South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Marine Unit were also donated by the same local resident that donated the ROV.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is extremely thankful to our partners around Lake Tahoe. This search and recovery would not have been successful without the private donations from a local resident, training by Bruce’s Legacy, and the assistance from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, South Lake Tahoe Police Department, South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Marine Unit, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Marine Unit, El Dorado County SAR, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, and the United States Coast Guard.