**Sacramento mother and baby found dead in canal**
Family have confirmed the wreck found this week by a canal near Oakdale is the car of Whisper Owen and her eight-month-old daughter Sandra McCarty. The pair had been missing since July 15. Their case led police on a huge search across several counties in Central California.
**Missing persons report**
Whisper, a Sacramento County resident, and Sandra were last seen in Fresno, where relatives last spoke to her. After she did not return home, police quickly issued an Endangered Missing Advisory and asked the public for help. Later, traffic cameras picked up the Dodge SUV in an Atwater parking lot the night she vanished, raising new fears for their welfare.
Days later, law enforcement pinged Whisper’s phone. The last data point showed her phone near the canal bend in San Joaquin County. That led dive teams to the site, where responders found the car submerged and the small victims inside.
## Search and Recovery Efforts
On Sunday, Adventures With Purpose, a volunteer dive team led by Juan Heredia, focused operations along a rural section of west Oakdale, hoping to find a mother and her young daughter. During the search, the team located the family’s car underwater, trapped under the bridge over the canal. They recovered the vehicle and discovered the bodies of Whisper Owen and her infant daughter, Sandra McCarty, still secured in their seats.
Richard Owen, the mother’s brother, shared the family’s pain but also their need for closure. “Now we can begin to let this loss settle in. Whisper had other children who must now learn to go on without their mother and their baby sister,” he said, underlining the lasting hurt for those who survive.
## Law Enforcement Response
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office arrived only moments after the bodies were lifted, confirming the recovery of one adult and one infant. Investigators from the California Highway Patrol and the Fresno Police Department quickly joined the scene to answer the deeper question: how did the car enter the canal in the first place? CHP will focus on the vehicle’s travel path, while Fresno detectives collect statements and look for any camera or forensic evidence nearby.
Officials are pushing ahead with the investigation but have not yet ruled the case an accident or an act of a crime. Right now the priority is figuring out how the car ended up in the water and checking every possible factor, from the state of the road to whether the vehicle itself could have malfunctioned.
Community Reaction and Support
Residents are still reeling from the tragic news. Groups like Adventures With Purpose, who specialize in finding people in California’s waterways, are now working hand in hand with the sheriff’s dive teams. They help families through the darkest hours, showing how teamwork can ease the pain of a missing person case.
Neighbors and friends are flooding social media with love and prayers for the grieving family. Local charities have set up small teams to support Owen’s older children, making sure they have counselors, meals, and gentle company as they face the unimaginable loss of their mother and baby sister.
## Safety and Awareness
This tragedy shows how important missing person alerts are. Technology like cell phone pings and traffic cameras helps find people more quickly. Families should always report a missing person as soon as they notice. Local authorities stress the need for fast and organized action in these emergencies.
While the investigation remains active, investigators are asking anyone who saw Whisper Owen’s last movements or her vehicle to step forward. When law enforcement, search groups, and the community work together, they give families the support they need and help stop similar tragedies.
## Looking Ahead
Though the exact details of Whisper Owen and Sandra McCarty’s deaths are still being investigated, the community wants their story to shine a light on missing persons cases and to make search and recovery programs even stronger. Family, friends, and local groups are uniting to care for Owen’s surviving children and to remember those who were lost.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol are still digging into the case. They will share more updates as they gather additional information.
