Introduction to the Tragedy
In late May, Joanne Calasanz and her sister, Jomarie, waded into a shallow pool near the bank of the Kaweah River in Sequoia National Park. They laughed at how chilly the water was and dared each other to dip just a little more of their bodies into the cold, clear stream. Then, without warning, Joanne felt a powerful current tugging her away from shore. Jomarie saw the fear in Joanne’s eyes and lunged to save her. In an instant, the current pulled them downstream toward a long stretch of punishing rapids.
The Search for Jomarie
After being starved for breath and battered so badly she was sure she was going to die, Joanne felt stones beneath her, planted her feet, and came to a sudden stop near shore. Jomarie kept going. Hours later, just before nightfall, searchers flying a drone spotted a body with long black hair, like Jomarie’s, beneath a thundering waterfall. With light fading and no hope that she was still alive, they decided it was too treacherous to attempt recovering her body in the dark. But when they returned the next morning, Jomarie was gone.
The Local Legend
Joanne and her parents spent three agonizing nights in a nearby hotel: in shock, grieving and desperate to hear Jomarie had been found. News filtered quickly through the tight-knit community that another drowning victim’s body had eluded rescuers. On the family’s last morning at the hotel, a waitress who had kept her distance out of respect approached the grieving mother and gave her a hug and a tip: There’s a local legend, a man not affiliated with official emergency service agencies, who finds people. Juan Heredia, 53, a chiseled and tan scuba instructor from Stockton, is gaining a large following for a strange and sad specialty: In a little over a year, he has found the bodies of a dozen drowning victims after authorities had either given up or paused searches because they deemed conditions too dangerous.
Heredia’s Background
Heredia’s love for the water began when he was a boy in Argentina, where in the northwest province of Tucumán, his dad took him fishing on lakes and rivers. Hooks were expensive, so whenever one fell off the line, young Juan would dive out of the boat and swim to the bottom to retrieve it. He became a certified scuba diver in his late teens and an instructor a few years later. When Heredia was in his mid-20s, he heard people crying and yelling by the river near his home and rushed to see what was happening. A young man had drowned. The fire department took one look at the turbulent water and decided it was too dangerous to attempt a recovery. Unimpressed, Heredia asked the firefighters if he could borrow a mask and fins. He found the man in about 10 minutes.
The Search for Jomarie Continues
Heredia traveled to the Kaweah to search for Jomarie Calasanz, but the water was still so rough he smashed his ankle into a rock and had to call off the search. When he returned for a second try in mid-July, the river was relatively tame, and the swelling in Heredia’s ankle had decreased. But it was brutally hot. By 9 a.m., the temperature had already topped 80 degrees. As he shoved his limbs into his rubber wetsuit — at 7 millimeters, it was more than twice as thick as what most Southern California surfers wear in the summer — sweat was already beading on his forehead. Asked why he doesn’t wear a lighter, cooler suit, he replied with one word: padding. Even with the water level low, he would still need to navigate boulder-strewn rapids. And when he was out of the water, the thick rubber would help guard against thorns and sharp tree branches.
Heredia’s Determination
Before he left a campground parking lot and headed to the river, Joanne Calasanz and her parents arrived from their home in La Puente to thank him and hold vigil while he searched. He told them he planned to cover 5 miles, starting in the pool beneath the waterfall where Jomarie was last seen. As the hours ticked by with no word, Francis Calasanz, 71, Jomarie’s father, leaned against the family Subaru and scrolled nervously through his phone. An engineer by training, he was burying himself in technical details of “the incident,” as he called it. At first, he spoke so softly it was almost impossible to hear him over the babbling river. But he explained that his research using a website popular with kayakers and whitewater rafters had shown that the volume of water in the Kaweah — its middle fork, to be precise — was at its annual peak when his daughters waded in the Sunday before Memorial Day.
Conclusion
Heredia’s search for Jomarie Calasanz is a testament to his determination and compassion. Despite the dangers and challenges, he continues to search for her, driven by his desire to bring closure to her family. His story is a reminder of the importance of perseverance and the impact one person can have on the lives of others.
FAQs
Q: Who is Juan Heredia?
A: Juan Heredia is a 53-year-old scuba instructor from Stockton who has found the bodies of a dozen drowning victims after authorities had given up or paused searches.
Q: What drives Heredia’s search for Jomarie Calasanz?
A: Heredia’s search for Jomarie is driven by his desire to bring closure to her family and his own personal need for closure.
Q: What are the challenges Heredia faces in his search?
A: Heredia faces challenges such as treacherous water conditions, extreme temperatures, and rugged terrain.
Q: How does Heredia’s approach differ from that of official emergency services?
A: Heredia’s approach is low-tech and risky, involving him swimming alone in the river and navigating boulder-strewn rapids.
Q: What is the significance of Heredia’s story?
A: Heredia’s story highlights the importance of perseverance, compassion, and the impact one person can have on the lives of others.
