26-year-old vanishes in river during family trip to CA national park, rangers say
UPDATE: The body of Jomarie Calasanz was discovered July 24 by search teams, two months after she was swept away in the Kaweah River in Sequoia National Park, officials said.
The original story is below.
A 26-year-old woman was swept away in a rushing river during an outing with her family at a California national park, officials said.
Jomarie Calasanz went to Kaweah River near Paradise Creek Bridge at Sequoia National Park for Memorial Day weekend, the National Park Service said in a June 5 news release.
“What was supposed to be a fun, bonding moment very quickly turned into a traumatic event that will stick with us forever,” her older sister, Joanne Calasanz, said in a GoFundMe page.
The Los Angeles woman jumped into the river to save her older sister, who was getting swept away, but Jomarie Calasanz ended up caught in the currents, the donation page said.
Her sister made it out of the water safely, but Jomarie Calasanz wasn’t seen again.
Search teams looked for Jomarie Calasanz for nine days before “scaling down due to dangerous river conditions,” park officials said.
Park officials said the river was cold and moving rapidly due to recent snowpack melt.
Efforts included ground search, police dogs, underwater live stream cameras, helicopter searches and an “unmanned aerial system.”
Although search teams have winded back, park officials said they believe Jomarie Calasanz can still be found in the park.
Park visitors are advised to stay away from the riverbank when the water is running high, officials said.
“Even areas that appear calm have strong currents that can quickly overpower even the most experienced swimmers. Rocks near the river are extremely slippery, which can lead to accidental slips into the cold, fast-moving waters,” officials said.
Sequoia National Park is about an 80-mile drive southeast from Fresno.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 10:07 AM.
