Remains found of Mariposa County woman who went missing during March storm

The skeletal remains of a Mariposa County woman who went missing in the hills during a March rainstorm have been found nearly four months later, according to the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office.

Carol Brown, 72, of Catheys Valley went missing March 22 after she went to check on her horses. Rescue crews found her remains on June 16. A second person, John Honesto, who also went missing during the flooding, has not been found.

Brown was found near the Bear Reservoir, an area nine miles south from where Brown was last seen in March. Cadaver dogs came across skeletal human remains that were later tested and identified as Brown, the sheriff's office said.

Brown had last been seen near a seasonal creek that normally grows to about 4 feet wide and a foot deep. At the time her husband was searching for her, he found Brown's truck on its side in the creek, which had grown to about 150 feet wide and 10 feet deep at the height of the March flooding.

Brown's jacket was located by a California Highway Patrol helicopter during initial searches in March. That was around the same area where her remains were recently found. Brown's family has been notified of her discovery.

As for Honesto, the search for him continues. He was reported missing by the Tuolomne County Sheriff's Office the same day as Brown. His wife told deputies Honesto never returned home from a substitute teaching job.

Honesto's destroyed vehicle was found in a stream from Highway 132, according to the sheriff's office.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 5:58 PM.