Search teams found the body of the second of two teenage brothers who was missing and presumed drowned in the Thermalito Afterbay since mid-December, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Volunteer diver Juan Heredia of Stockton, founder of Angels Recovery Dive Team who had been helping with the search, at 10 a.m. announced the discovery of the body on his Facebook page. It triggered an outpouring of support and kind messages.
The sheriff’s office said that through DNA analysis, authorities identified the body as 17-year-old Wesley Cornett. Cornett’s body was recovered on Sunday morning.
Brothers Wesley and Andruw Cornett are shown in this photo their family is using on a GoFundMe page.
Andruw Cornett, Wesley’s brother, was pulled from the water on Tuesday, Dec. 31, the sheriff’s office said. He was 19.
The sheriff’s office said at 9:12 a.m., a citizen walking walking on the west bank of the Thermalito Afterbay, just south of the Highway 162 bridge, spotted the body in the water and called 911.
A sheriff’s marine unit was on the water continuing its search for the Cornett brothers, sheriff’s office said.
Word of the discovery in the afterbay spread quickly on Sunday, with many believing it could be Wesley Cornett’s body.
The brothers had been duck hunting near the afterbay on Dec. 14. Wesley paddled a kayak to retrieve a fallen duck when it capsized. Andruw called 911 for help. When the 911 operator said it would take time for rescuers to get to the afterbay, he said he was going to swim out to help his younger brother, Butte County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Megan McMann told the Record Searchlight.
A sheriff’s pilot flying over the area as part of the ongoing search for the brothers spotted Andruw’s body the morning of New Year’s Eve, and the sheriff’s office made positive identification that same day.
“He’s a hero in my eyes,” April Clark has written of her older son Andruw on Facebook and on a GoFundMe page. Donors had contributed more than $56,000 to the fund by Sunday night.
Thermalito Afterbay is one of several reservoirs on opposite sides of Thermalito Dam. The afterbay is located southwest of the dam, about 7 miles west of Oroville and about 70 miles north of Sacramento. Its banks lap against grasslands in the 11,800-acre Oroville Wildlife Area, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Thermalito Afterbay is a popular spot for bass and other kinds of fishing, and for boating and water sports, according to recreation websites, and the grasslands attract hunters looking for small game.
In a post Sunday evening, Heredia wrote in part, “Andruw and Wesley will forever remain in my heart. God, please bless their families. They need your strength and comfort now more than ever.”
Diver given a key to the city from Stockton City Council
Earlier this year, the Stockton City Council recognized Juan Heredia as the “city council hero” after the scuba diving instructor volunteered to search the Calaveras River for 15-year-old Xavier Martinez when he went missing in March.
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department officials spent days searching the waters but couldn’t locate the teen. Heredia found Martinez’s body within 30 minutes of his dive.
Heredia received a standing ovation from the nearly 900 people in attendance.
“Juan, you are a true hero to everyone in this city. Your actions were selfless, courageous, and without hesitation. You are the definition of a good Samaritan,” Lincoln said. “I thank God that you answered the call that day. Thank you, Juan, for using your skills to bring peace and closure to the family of Xavier Martinez.”
Record reporter Hannah Workman contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Stockton diver announces recovery of second missing California brother