Sacramento Bee Logo

Man who fell into El Dorado water pipe found dead | The Sacramento Bee

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • SacBee Rewards
    • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube
    • News in Education (NIE)
  • Newsletters

    • Sacramento Region
    • Arena
    • City Beat
    • Crime
    • Local Govt Salary Database
    • The Homeless
    • Marcos Bretón
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health & Medicine
    • Traffic Conditions
    • Weather
    • Communities
    • Elk Grove
    • Folsom/El Dorado
    • Roseville/Placer
    • Yolo
    • Sports
    • Kings
    • NBA News
    • 49ers
    • Giants
    • Oakland A's
    • High School Sports
    • Joe Davidson
    • More Sports
    • Raiders
    • NFL News
    • MLB News
    • River Cats
    • Soccer
    • Colleges
    • Golf
    • Autos Racing
    • Politics
    • Capitol Alert
    • State Workers
    • The California Influencer Series
    • Local Elections
    • PoliGRAPH
    • State Worker Salary Database
    • Legislative Gifts
    • Local Elections
    • California Elections
    • Election Endorsements
    • Election 2018
    • Voter Guide
    • Investigations
    • Data Tracker
    • Public Eye
    • Afghan Refugees
    • Nursing Homes
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Election Endorsements
    • Viewpoints
    • Influencers Opinion
    • California Forum
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit a Letter
    • Jack Ohman
    • Editorial Board
    • Entertainment & Life
    • Arts & Theater
    • Books
    • Home & Garden
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Outdoors
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Comics
    • Puzzles
    • TV Listings
    • Sacbee Rewards
    • Food & Drink
    • Restaurants News & Reviews
    • Restaurant Directory
    • Cooking & Recipes
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Appetizers Blog
    • California
    • Big Valley
    • Marijuana
    • Wildfires
    • Water & Drought
    • Lottery
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Market Summary
    • Cathie Anderson
    • Nation & World
    • National
    • World
    • Technology
    • Family
    • Celebrities
    • TV news
    • Weird News
    • Video Break
    • News Obituaries
    • Death Notices
    • FAQ
    • ObitMessenger
    • In Memoriam

    • The Sacramento Bee Store
    • Golf Card
    • Farm to Fork Dining Card
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Advertise
  • Mobile & Apps

Crime - Sacto 911

Sacto 911

Man who fell into El Dorado water pipe found dead

By Benjy Egel

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 23, 2018 09:20 AM

The body of the man who on Monday fell into a channel used to transport raw water was recovered Tuesday morning, the El Dorado Irrigation District announced.

Tory Robert Mayes sneaked onto the EID facility and fell or jumped into an above-ground air vent in the pipe below Sly Park Dam, said Jesse Saich, irrigation district spokesman. The pipe carries water from Jenkinson Lake 1  1/2 miles to an EID treatment plant in Pollock Pines, where Mayes lived.

“It’s not a place where you want to be playing in,” Saich said. “It’s a facility that transports cold, raw water, not a place you would just want to dip into … I have no knowledge of his motivation as to why he would want to get into the pipe.”

Pipe flow was slowed and a conservation advisory was put in place as dive teams and first responders searched for Mayes. After several hours, they concluded water temperature and “circumstances surrounding the incident” had minimized his chances of survival, and transitioned from a rescue mission to a recovery mission.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Mayes’ Facebook profile identified him as a Hemet Senior High School alumnus and construction worker from Idyllwild, a small town nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains. He had previously “checked in” at Sly Park Dam on Oct. 25.

“This type of thing doesn’t happen up here,” Saich said. “That facility has been there since the 1950s, and nothing has ever happened like this before.”

It was not known whether alcohol or drugs had played a role in Mayes’ death. Regular water flow had resumed as of Tuesday morning, and water quality remained unaffected, Saich said.

Benjy Egel: 916-321-1052, @BenjyEgel

  Comments  

Videos

An El Dorado woman has been missing since Valentine’s Day. Here’s what we know

Check out this week’s fugitives on Sacramento’s Most Wanted

View More Video

Trending Stories

An unsettling sight: Someone strung dead coyotes along a fence near Oakdale

February 20, 2019 12:04 PM

Reports of ‘homophobic’ emoji set off online uproar. What’s going on?

February 20, 2019 07:44 AM

Gavin Newsom’s housing lawsuit put 47 California cities on notice. Is yours on the list?

February 19, 2019 12:00 AM

Newsom claims ‘retribution’ after Trump administration demands high-speed rail funds back

February 19, 2019 03:36 PM

I owe how much? Americans shocked by impact of new tax law

February 19, 2019 09:00 AM

Read Next

El Dorado Hills woman found dead in church parking lot, sheriff says
Video media Created with Sketch.

Crime - Sacto 911

El Dorado Hills woman found dead in church parking lot, sheriff says

By Michael McGough

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 20, 2019 02:08 PM

An El Dorado Hills woman reported missing since Valentine’s Day, Brooke Ann Harris, was found dead Wednesday afternoon, sheriff says.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE CRIME - SACTO 911

CHP praises tow truck driver who came to officer’s aid during stabbing attack on I-5

Crime - Sacto 911

CHP praises tow truck driver who came to officer’s aid during stabbing attack on I-5

February 20, 2019 05:05 PM
El Dorado County woman still missing – Sheriff’s Office posts new photos of her SUV

Crime - Sacto 911

El Dorado County woman still missing – Sheriff’s Office posts new photos of her SUV

February 19, 2019 12:31 PM
UC Santa Cruz student indicted for developing ‘Banana Plug’ drug-selling app

Crime - Sacto 911

UC Santa Cruz student indicted for developing ‘Banana Plug’ drug-selling app

February 19, 2019 08:32 PM
Auburn Rite Aid robbed by man who demanded prescription pills, police say

Crime - Sacto 911

Auburn Rite Aid robbed by man who demanded prescription pills, police say

February 19, 2019 03:07 PM
Davis woman gets May murder trial in shooting of ex-boyfriend at downtown apartment

Crime - Sacto 911

Davis woman gets May murder trial in shooting of ex-boyfriend at downtown apartment

February 19, 2019 01:22 PM

Crime - Sacto 911

‘Wild morning!’ Stolen pickup catches fire after pursuit by CHP and Placer deputies

February 19, 2019 01:02 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

The Sacramento Bee App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
Advertising
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Place a Legal Notice
  • Place a Digital Ad
  • Place a Newspaper Ad
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Corrections Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story