GREENFIELD — Authorities recovered the body of a man Monday after a vehicle was discovered partially submerged in the Arroyo Seco River west of Greenfield, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began Sunday, April 12, at about 4:30 p.m., when a kayaker called 911 to report a vehicle in the river near the 47000 block of Arroyo Seco Road. Deputies responded and located the vehicle over a cliff’s edge and in the water.
A drone search was conducted with assistance from the California Highway Patrol’s H70 Air Unit and the Greenfield Police Department, but efforts were suspended Sunday night due to darkness.
Search operations resumed Monday with deputies and volunteers from the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team, along with the Sheriff’s Dive Team and CHP’s H70 Air Unit.
Rescuers established a rope system to access the river below the cliff, lowering personnel to the vehicle. A search of the vehicle confirmed no occupants were inside.
After several hours of searching the river and surrounding riverbank, crews located a deceased adult male about a half-mile downstream from the vehicle. The body was recovered with assistance from the CHP helicopter.
On Tuesday, the Monterey County Sheriff’s coroner identified the man as 38-year-old Jacob Decarli of Salinas.
“Monterey County Sheriff’s Office extends its condolences to the Decarli family and all those affected by this loss,” stated the Sheriff’s Office in a news release. “This incident remains under investigation, and no additional information is available at this time.”
