Woman's Body Found In Car Submerged In Floodwaters In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Rescue personnel found a woman's body inside a car submerged in floodwaters Wednesday morning in the Forestville area, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman, identified by the Coroner's Office as Daphne Fontino, 43, of Ukiah, was found shortly after 7:45 a.m. in the 6000 block of Trenton-Healdsburg Road in Forestville.

Her car was submerged in floodwaters 100 yards off the roadway, sheriff's Spokesperson Rob Dillion said in a news release.

"The car was submerged in approximately 8-10 feet of water, making it difficult to determine if the car was occupied," Dillion said. "A Marine Unit deputy dove into the water and determined the car was occupied but the occupant had died. Deputies and fire personnel then removed the occupant from the car."

The discovery Wednesday morning was the culmination of a two-day search.

At 10:08 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's dispatchers received a 911 call from California Highway Patrol that a car was stuck in flood waters in the 6000 block of Trenton-Healdsburg Road in Forestville.

"The caller reported there was water in the car, then the line disconnected," Dillion said. "Dispatch immediately tried to call back several times with no response."

The Marine Unit, Henry 1 helicopter, CHP Helicopter, several deputies, and Sonoma County Fire District Swift Water Rescue personnel all responded to the scene to search for the car and driver.

They searched until sunset Tuesday when the search became too dangerous to continue in the dark. They did not find the car or driver.

Around 6 a.m. Wednesday as the sun was rising, Marine Unit deputies and Sonoma County Fire Swift Water Rescue personnel returned to the scene to continue search efforts. Shortly after 7:45 a.m., they found Fontino's car.

"The Sheriff's Office sends our condolences to the victim’s family and friends during this challenging time," Dillion said. "We would like to thank Sonoma County Fire and CHP for their assistance."