From Chelsea Phua:
Valentina Pristupa says she continues to pray to God for the safe return of her 18-year-old son, Roman.
She prays for a miracle - that authorities would find her son and his two friends, Bohdan Lytvynyuk, 16, and Alex Kaplinskiy, 17, alive, she said.
The Sacramento area teenage boys went missing near Nicolaus last Wednesday after their vehicle crashed into the Feather River in Sutter County.
The Sutter County Sheriff's Department continued its search Tuesday along a five-mile stretch of river downstream from the accident site, a sandy beach off of Garden Highway and Lee Road.
From dawn to dusk, a patrol boat crew combs the area with a depth-finder. On Tuesday, the searchers had help from a cadaver dog from the California Rescue Dog Association.
Capt. David Samson said citizen volunteers have also searched the riverbanks on horses.
Samson said authorities plan to continue the search efforts until the boys are found, which could take weeks.
"It's always frustrating when you're trying to find someone but haven't," Samson said. "But it's even more frustrating for the families."
Samson said the families have been very helpful.
"We are trying to do everything we can for them," Samson said.
Valentina Pristupa said her husband has been scouring the riverbanks for days.
"We are still waiting," she said.


About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.