3 people found dead after Sacramento County flooding are identified
The Sacramento County coroner has identified all three people found dead in the southern part of the county in the wake of flooding from the New Year's Eve storm.
They are:
- Steven Sampson, 45, of McAlester, Oklahoma.
- Katherine Martinez, 61, of Orland, California.
- Mei Keng Lam , 57, of San Leandro, California.
Martinez's body was found Wednesday inside a submerged vehicle impacted by the flooding at New Hope Road west of Orr Road, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Part of New Hope Road is still flooded in that area west of Galt.
The family of Martinez said they found her car themselves after reporting her missing to the sheriff's office two days earlier.
"It's upsetting in this trying time that we were doing all the footwork to find her," Martinez's son said over the phone.
"Obviously, we feel for the family and extend our sympathy to them," Sacramento County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Amar Gandhi said.
Martinez was not deemed "at-risk" when she was reported missing, Gandhi said. To be considered at-risk requires a specific set of criteria, he explained.
Hours before Martinez was found, Lam's body was found near Dillard Road east of Highway 99, roughly a 30-minute drive away, the California Highway Patrol said.
Officials said Lam's body was discovered in a field around 10 a.m. CHP strongly suspects she was associated with a stranded car.
On Sunday, authorities discovered Sampson's body inside a submerged vehicle in that same area near Highway 99.
| MORE | Dozens rescued from Highway 99 after vehicles get stuck in floodwaters; 1 found dead
Flooding on that part of Highway 99 had led to several vehicles being stuck on the roadway. Dozens of people were rescued over the weekend.
Meanwhile, a man wanted in connection with an attack that injured two people in El Dorado County last month was found dead in the South Fork of the American River on Wednesday, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators are looking to determine the cause of death.
--Hilda Flores contributed to this story.