Overview

• Three hikers vanished on June 18 after jumping into Rattlesnake Falls, a remote plunge pool near Soda Springs in Northern California.
• The Placer County Sheriff’s Office led the operation alongside CAL FIRE’s Technical Rescue Team and a CHP helicopter that evacuated the other three hikers on Wednesday night.
• Search operations were suspended on Thursday due to dangerous conditions before resuming Sunday, allowing teams to return when weather improved.
• Volunteer diver Juan Heredia hiked through stormy conditions and free-dived to recover the bodies before sheriff’s teams removed them on June 22.
• Authorities identified the victims as Valentino Creus, 50, and Matthew Schoenecker, 50, both of Los Angeles, and Matthew Anthony, 44, of New York City.