Third body found in south Sacramento County floodwaters after winter storm
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Authorities on Wednesday afternoon found a body in a submerged vehicle west of Galt; at least the third person found dead in a rural part of south Sacramento County flooded by a strong New Year’s Eve “atmospheric river” storm.
The body was found in the vehicle in the area of New Hope and Orr roads, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. The discovery west of Galt came hours after the California Highway Patrol found the second body south of Elk Grove along Dillard Road.
Gandhi said CHP officers and firefighters in a rescue boat were at the scene Wednesday evening near New Hope Road, but it was not yet clear whether the person found dead was a female or male. He said he did not have any other information about the discovery.
Crews working in the CHP South Sacramento jurisdiction since Saturday’s big storm have towed about 150 vehicles that washed away in the flooding, including four Wednesday morning near Dillard Road where the woman’s body was found. The CHP said officers discovered the woman’s body about 10 a.m. She was outside of a vehicle.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as 57-year-old Mei Keng Lam of San Leandro.
The Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department said previously that crews located a body inside a vehicle found Sunday morning, also along Dillard Road, near Highway 99.
The Coroner’s Office will release the names of others who died after they’ve been identified and their families have been notified.
At least four deaths in Northern California have been blamed on the storms. A 72-year-old man, was found dead near a falling tree in Santa Cruz.
As another powerful storm moved through Northern California Wednesday evening, CHP and Caltrans officials urged residents to stay off California’s roads as the large winter storm system gained strength, bringing dangerous conditions from the Valley’s major arteries to Sierra mountain passes.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 6:19 PM.
