Missing mother and daughter found dead in submerged vehicle in Oakdale, California 1 month after disappearance

OAKDALE, Calif. — A missing Sacramento mother and her 8-month-old daughter were found dead inside a submerged vehicle on Sunday, search crews confirmed.

Whisper Owen, 36, and her infant daughter, Sandra McCarty, had been missing since July 15, when Owen drove to see family and go to a doctor’s appointment in Fresno, California. Her family said she left in the early evening to head back home to Sacramento.

They were found Sunday inside their 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was discovered submerged in a canal under a bridge on Highway 120 near Oakdale, California.

The discovery was made using sonar technology. The volunteer search team confirmed the bodies of both Owen and Sandra were inside the vehicle.

The searchers say Owen made a desperate attempt to save her daughter during the incident. It’s not clear what led up to them becoming trapped under the bridge.

“It appears as though Whisper was making her way to the backseat to save her daughter, Sandra,” Jared Leisek with Adventures with Purpose told KXTV in Sacramento.

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Authorities were alerted to the canal after Adventures with Purpose, a nonprofit that specializes in clearing waterways for missing people, stepped in to help the family.

Richard Owen, Whisper’s brother, says he’s grateful for the outpouring of support, including from Adventures with Purpose.

“Not once, but twice driving down from Oregon and donating their time, efforts and resources,” he said. “Reaching out to a dive team that’s local to Stockton and getting them out to help identify and get my sister and niece out of the water.”

As the family grapples with this devastating loss, they hope to keep Whisper and Sandra’s memory alive.

“They were beautiful people who made a very big difference in this world and a lot of people’s lives,” Richard said. “That’s what they deserve to be remembered as.”

The family has set up a donation page to help with funeral costs.

The Fresno Police Department is handling this case as this investigation continues.