Bodies of parents, daughter found in Mendocino County; boy still missing
The bodies of a man and his 9-year-old daughter were found Sunday in a vehicle submerged in the Eel River in Mendocino County, authorities said, leaving one child unaccounted for after a Southern California family of four went missing earlier this month.
Sandeep Thottapilly, 41, and Saachi Thottapilly, 9, of Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County), were found inside their vehicle after about 70 people conducted search-and-rescue efforts in Leggett, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Searchers detected a gasoline smell coming from the water about half a mile north of where the family was reported to have crashed, police said. The search effort found a vehicle about 6 feet beneath the water.