The body of a 19-year-old Petaluma man who went missing while swimming in the Truckee River during last week’s heat wave was discovered Monday, authorities said.
Brian Marcellino Gallardo was discovered by rescue divers near Floriston following a multiday search, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. He had been swimming with friends on Saturday when he went underneath and did not reappear.
The search began that afternoon and continued over the weekend, resulting in a big, coordinated response from numerous agencies. Crews deployed “K9 teams, drones, helicopters, swift water rescue teams, rescue swimmers, and ground searchers on foot,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Divers from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office discovered Gallardo’s body on Monday.
“The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office sees this tragedy as a significant loss for a young man, as well as the deep loss felt by his family and friends. Drownings are particularly challenging situations because they frequently occur rapidly and have a long-term impact on families, responders, and the community, according to officials.
A fundraiser established to assist Gallardo’s family characterizes him as “a very well-mannered young man who was full of life,” adding that he was “charismatic, ambitious, kind, and deeply loved by those who knew him.”
Authorities have warned that the Truckee River is particularly dangerous this time of year. Even during hot spells, fast-moving currents and snowmelt maintain water temperatures dangerously low, about 40 degrees.
The sheriff’s office warned people to exercise caution around rivers and be aware of rapidly changing conditions.
“While it may feel like summer, melting snow is causing rivers and streams to rise and flow rapidly,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Water temperatures remain low enough to inflict acute cold shock and hypothermia. “Please stay out of the river.”
The risks are not limited to the Truckee River. Rivers across California are running faster and colder than usual as a result of an extremely rapid snow melt.
Flow rates on the South Fork of the American River are around double what is expected for this time of year, according to Mike Hittle, a hydrologist with the California-Nevada River Forecast Center.
“Nothing similar in terms of the speed of melt we experienced this year,” Hittle added. He said that the statewide snowpack could fall below 2015’s record low as early as next week.
No other information about the Truckee River incident was immediately given.
