A 21-year-old who vanished in California just before Christmas was later found dead after his vehicle crashed into a deep canal, authorities said.
Family members reported the man missing sometime between Wednesday, Dec. 24, and Thursday, Dec. 25, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. Officials later identified him as Carlos Mendoza of Fresno.
Using phone location data, relatives began searching near the intersection of Herndon and Madsen avenues in Fresno County. When California Highway Patrol officers arrived, they noticed “signs consistent with a possible crash.”
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office deployed a dive team, authorities said, and responders located a 2012 Dodge Journey submerged in about 12 feet of water in a nearby canal.
After the SUV was pulled from the water by a tow truck, investigators found a deceased man inside who they believed was the missing person, officials said. The California Highway Patrol added that the driver’s seatbelt was found locked in place and the vehicle’s airbags had deployed.
A spokesperson for the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said the SUV was discovered on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 26.
It remains unclear whether drugs or alcohol played any role in the crash, officials said. The investigation is ongoing.
For Mendoza’s family, the discovery brought devastating news.
“There was a lot more, you know, that he had life to offer him,” Cynthia Menoza, the man’s mother, told ABC affiliate KFSN. “It breaks me that he doesn’t get that, and I don’t get to see him do that.”
She told KSEE/KGPE that she last heard from him around 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday. He had worked that day and told his family he planned to go out with friends afterward. When she didn’t hear from him, she said, her concern quickly escalated.
After Carlos became trapped in the water, she told KFSN there were signs he tried to get out of the submerged vehicle. In the aftermath, Cynthia said her family is leaning on their faith.
“That’s going to be my only strength, pulling to God because He’s the only one who knows what was supposed to happen,” she told the outlet.
Cynthia has also launched a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses.
“Christmas, which should have been a time of joy and togetherness, has turned into a moment of unbearable sorrow,” she wrote on the donation page. “His absence leaves a void that can never be filled.”
