Body Recovered From 6 Feet of Mud in California Identified

Eric Chaney
Published: October 21,2015

Emergency crews in California discovered a body while excavating a minivan from 6 feet of mud Tuesday after last week’s heavy flooding buried the vehicle in a catch basin beside a street in Palmdale."As they began to dig further down they discovered what appeared to be a human hand protruding from the vehicle," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lt. Victor Lewandowski told KTLA.

A minivan buried in the recent mudslides in California was located with a body trapped inside.
(CBS Los Angeles)

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner – Coroner’s office has identified the body as 49-year-old Michael Rasmussen.Sheriff's homicide detectives were called to examine the bodyat the scene, but there were no signs of foul play, KTLA reports. Authorities at the scene on Karen Drive said all signs pointed to a tragic accident during the recent flash flood, an account corroborated by eyewitness testimony.
A homeowner who lives above the catch basin saw the vehicle swept away, and insisted to authorities that someone was missing, CBS Los Angeles reports.
“She said an SUV had turned over and gone down behind her house; she was complaining about it for days. But the rescue workers told her the person had been saved,” neighbor Paul Mathews, said.
(WATCH: California Digs Out After Mudslides)
Stacey Horwood told KTLA that she was behind the Chevy Venture on Karen Drive when it swept off the road and covered by a cascade of mud.
"It went nose first, and then you saw the back axle just continue to sink down, and that was it," Horwood said. "The water just kept going and going and going, and nothing came up."

Emergency crews remove the van from the mudslide where it had sat since last Thursday.
(CBS Los Angeles)

Horwood also reported the incident to the police, but authorities weren’t able to locate the vehicle. Firefighters told CBS Los Angeles it was difficult for them to search for the vehicle on the day of the mudslide because the ground was unstable.According to KTLA, Horwood and others in the area said they pressured officials to come back out and search one more time, an effort that led to Tuesday's discovery.
Maintenance workers were using a backhoe to clear out mud and debris when they discovered the vehicle at about 12:50 p.m, KTLE reports. After nearly 10 hours, the vehicle was finally pulled from what was described as a 12 foot deep concrete drainage ditch.
Meanwhile, authorities have suspended the search for a 67-year-old man swept away during flooding at the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains area because deep mud has made it too dangerous.
MORE: California Mudslides - October 2015