YUCAIPA, Calif.—A woman who disappeared when a downpour in a recently burned area unleashed mudslides that tore through her Southern California mountain community was found dead under mud, rocks, and other debris, authorities said Friday.
Thunderstorms late Monday triggered the mudslides carrying rocks, trees, and earth that washed away cars, buried homes and affected 3,000 residents in two remote communities in the San Bernardino Mountains.
First responders, including K-9 units, searched for Doris Jagiello, 62, amid the devastation in Forest Falls, a former summer getaway for cabin owners that has become a bedroom community. A large debris flow, full of mud and “extremely large boulders,” hurtled downhill and crashed into Jagiello’s home, causing significant damage “and carrying away everything in its path.”
Jagiello’s body was found Thursday, buried under several feet of mud. Her remains were located about 20 to 30 feet from her home, in a debris-strewn area with rocks ranging from as big as basketballs and boulders to the size of small cars, sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Allison said.
“While this was not the desired outcome, the Sheriff’s Department hopes finding Jagiello will bring some measure of closure to Jagiello’s family and aid in their healing process,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Friday.
One of her dogs was found alive inside her house but two others remain missing, Allison said.
The woman’s family did not immediately respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment.
