On April 19, 2014 at approximately 1553 hours, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 Emergency Call reporting a possible drowning at Lake Camanche near the dam. Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies, an Amador County Sheriff’s Marine Unit, Amador County Sheriff’s Dive Team members, East Bay Municipal Utilities District Rangers and a Calaveras County Sheriff’s Marine Unit all responded to the area.

Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies interviewed the witnesses who reported that the missing man, a 44 year old Chinese National, had been fishing with them from a boat approximately 300 yards from the dam. The witnesses stated that the missing person went swimming and a short time later disappeared.

Due to the depth of the water in the area of the dam (in excess of over 100 feet), and unclear accounts of the specific location where the missing person was last seen, has led to an expansive search area. The Amador County Sheriff’s Office spent the remainder of Saturday, all day Sunday, and part of Monday and Tuesday searching the area with side scan sonar. A CHP helicopter was also utilized to search the area. Thus far, all efforts to locate the missing person have failed. Cadaver dogs specially trained to locate deceased persons under the water have been requested through the California Office of Emergency Services and the California Rescue Dog Association and are expected to arrive later this week.