Ground Search for Chico Woman Called Off

By Bill Johnson Published Jul 22, 2003 09:45 am Updated Jan 31, 2009 04:51 pm

Tuolumne County authorities hope to soon recover the body of a Chico woman who they say drowned in the Tuolumne River near Yosemite National Park over the weekend.

Tuolumne County SheriffÂ´s Lt. John Steely said the ground search for 21-year-old Casey Jackson has been called off. “WeÂ´re assuming at this time that she has drowned and is in the water, since weÂ´ve eliminated any places she could have walked out of,” Steely said.

Searchers believe the body was pulled under the water beneath the falls near Camp Tawonga, where Jackson worked as a counselor. “Within the next ten days, weÂ´re going to be sending in a whitewater diving team that can dive to certain areas that are too dangerous to dive at this time,” Steely said.

“She was looking at the rainbow from the water coming off the falls, when she slipped and fell approximately 20 to 30 feet,” Steely said.