Human remains found in Northern California river amid 6-week search for NY woman
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- Authorities found human remains near Yuba River amid a six-week search.
- Formal identification of remains may take weeks due to the condition of the remains.
- Rebecca Heinowitz, missing since May 24, was last seen struggling in fast currents.
Human remains were discovered on the shore of the Yuba River on Tuesday amid a search for a New York woman who went missing in the river in late May, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.
It will take “several weeks” before the remains can be identified due to the condition of the remains, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Rebecca Heinowitz, 50, of Barrytown, New York, was last seen struggling to swim in the river near the South Yuba Bridge on May 24, according to a previous news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
At the time, officials said the river’s conditions were “extremely dangerous,” due to fast-moving water, making it difficult for rescuers to respond.
The search for Heinowitz continued for weeks following her disappearance and included the use of drones, cadaver dogs and vehicles, authorities said.
The remains were found roughly a mile-and-a-half downstream from Jones Bar in Nevada City in what officials said was a difficult area to reach by foot and along a “rocky shore.”
California Highway Patrol, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District and California State Parks personnel all aided in the recovery of the remains, which involved a helicopter, the release said.
Missing woman was ‘unforgettable and unique teacher’
Heinowitz had worked at Bard College since 2004 and became a professor of literature in 2021.
In a letter to the school’s community, Bard College President Leon Botstein said Heinowitz was an “unforgettable and unique teacher and colleague” and praised her enthusiasm for art, according to the Times Union newspaper.
“Her mind and personality were magnetic and singular,” Botstein wrote according to Times Union reporting.
