As search continues, two swept away in Mariposa County floods presumed dead

More than 70 people continued the search Monday for a Tuolumne County man and a Mariposa County woman believed to have been swept away by floodwaters in separate incidents last week.

"Unfortunately, due to the force of this storm, we do presume both deceased," Mariposa County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristie Mitchell said in a news release.

John Honesto, 67, of Don Pedro, was reported missing to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office at 10 p.m. Thursday by his wife, Lynn, when he didn't return home from his substitute-teaching job at the Coulterville/Greeley Hill School.

He was last seen leaving the Coulterville area to return home.

Honesto's normal route would take him down Highway 132, where a large washout occurred near Granite Springs Road. It appears he crossed the flooded/washed-out section of highway at the Piney Creek culvert, Mitchell said. Deputies found his destroyed, empty vehicle more than a mile downstream from the washout.

Meanwhile, the missing woman is Carol Brown, 72, of Catheys Valley.

She left her home at about 5 p.m. Thursday to check on how horses were faring in the rain and flooding. When she didn't return after about 30 minutes, her husband started to look for her and found the utility vehicle she was driving lying on its side in a creek that had become more like a river.

The seasonal creek is normally 3 to 4 feet wide and no deeper than a foot, Mitchell said. But searchers estimated that during peak flow of the flood, it grew to 150 feet wide and 10 feet deep, she said.

"This fast-moving water was riddled with twisted and broken debris and would have been impossible for a person to navigate," Mitchell said in the release.

The waterway continues to the Bear Creek Reservoir, about 10 miles downstream toward Merced County. Searchers guided by a California Highway Patrol helicopter did find what is believed to be Brown's jacket.

The search for Honesto and Brown has included swift-water and other boating teams, drones and dogs. Mariposa County also has been assisted by the Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Madera, Kern, Fresno, Merced, Calaveras and Monterey sheriff's departments, CARDA Rescue and Cadaver Dogs, the California Office of Emergency Services and CalFire.

But as of Monday evening, "we are planning to reduce the mutual-aid teams," Mitchell said.

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with Honesto's and Brown's families in the search.

Family already has been allowed to join in the search, said Honesto's daughter, Nathalie.

"We’ve been able to go up and down the river bed, but it’s treacherous and not recommended,” she said.

She said search efforts have been "very thorough and extensive," and the sheriff's office has been updating her family regularly.

From the destruction evident in the search area, and throughout the entire county, Mitchell said, it is unlikely either person has survived. But "both Carol and John will continue to be listed as missing," she said.

Crews on Monday continued repairs on roads damaged by flash floods. Some of the damaged roads were expected to be reopened by Tuesday, while others that sustained more extensive damage could remain closed for several weeks.

Nine portions of Highway 49, between Moccasin in Tuolumne County and Bear Valley Road in Mariposa County, were either washed out or undercut by the flooding, said Warren Alford, a Caltrans spokesman.

He said that long stretch of Highway 49 could be closed for six to eight weeks.

It also could be six to eight weeks before authorities reopen a portion of Highway 132 from Granite Springs Road to Piney Road in Mariposa County. It was this portion of Highway 132, where Honesto's vehicle was washed away.

One-way traffic control could continue through the rest of the week on Highway 132 from Bonds Flat Road in Tuolumne County to Granite Springs Road in Mariposa County.

Alford urged drivers to watch out for Caltrans crews and emergency personnel working to ensure the roads are safe. Some are clearing debris and other material from the road, while others are assessing the damage left behind.

"You want to drive with a lot of caution, so you have enough time to stop and avoid any hazards on the road," Alford said.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 4:46 PM with the headline "As search continues, two swept away in Mariposa County floods presumed dead."