5/22/18 - The body of a man recovered from the San Joaquin River last Friday has officially been identified as 18 year old Jared Gardner of Clovis.
5/18/18 - On Friday, members of the Fresno County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) team recovered the body of a man from the San Joaquin River. He is presumed to be an 18 year old missing hiker named Jared Gardner. However, his identity still needs to be officially confirmed by our CSI technicians and the Coroner's Office.
On the afternoon of May 12, 2018, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office received an emergency call of a hiker being swept away in the current of the San Joaquin River.
A group of people were hiking in the area of San Joaquin River Gorge in Auberry. While standing on some rocks along the river, a surge of water suddenly came downstream. 18 year old Jared Gardner was unable to escape the rising water and was carried away. The other hikers made it to safety, but Gardner was not found.
The Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) team, EAGLE One helicopter, STAR Rescue and Millerton Park Rangers all responded to the area to look for Gardner. Search and rescue personnel have been out every day checking the area from where Gardner disappeared down to Millerton Lake. PG&E, which operates Kerckhoff Reservoir, is assisting by stopping the flow of water so that the teams can search more effectively.
The Sheriff's Office encourages the public to be aware of their surroundings when recreating in and around water. Pay attention to signs posted in the area and wear life jackets.
