Soap Lake man's remains recovered from Alkali Lake
Columbia Basin Dive Rescue was called in Sunday morning after efforts to locate Mauricio Cardenas of Soap Lake were unsuccessful on Saturday. His remains were later found in shallow water and recovered by searchers.
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ALKALI LAKE — The man who drowned in Alkali Lake Saturday evening was recovered and identified Monday.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 67-year-old Mauricio Cardenas of Soap Lake in an update Monday evening.
GCSO headed up the search for the man Saturday evening around 5 p.m. when family members reported they saw their relative enter the water and not resurface.
GCSO, along with assistance through the weekend from Columbia Basin Dive Rescue, LifeFlight, Grant County Fire District #7 and American Medical Response Grant County searched all Saturday evening, all day Sunday and into Monday.
According to the update, using a drone, deputies found the man’s body Monday afternoon near where he was last seen.
The update explained that due to the extremely low water level and the absence of a sufficient boat launch, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office responded with a small, shallow-draft boat and assisted with the recovery.
Cardenas's remains are in the care of Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison and will undergo an autopsy which is standard procedure for a sudden and unexpected out-of-hospital death, the update states.
“We ask people to join us in continuing prayer for Mr. Cardenas and his loved ones,” the update said.
Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.