UPDATE: More details released after deadly boat sinking at Shasta Lake

UPDATED: Monday, July 6, 5:30 p.m.

See Original and Updated stories below.

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. — Officials yesterday identified a man who drowned at Shasta Lake on Saturday, July 4, after a boat he and three others had spent the morning fishing in began taking on water and sank in the area of Dam Point and the Centimudi Boat Ramp.

Although the man’s three companions, including a child, safely swam back to shore, the victim never made it and his lifeless body was later found and retrieved from the water.

In the days since the July 4th drowning, another tragic incident in the same area resulted in the drowning death of a 13-year-old Stockton boy last night, July 7. The victim had been playing in the water at the Centimudi Boat Ramp with his grandfather and two siblings when he went missing.

SEE RELATED: Boy, 13, drowns at Shasta Lake’s Centimudi Boat Ramp

As the July 4th drowning investigation continues, Shasta County Sheriff Chief Deputy Coroner Lieutenant Stonehouse has since identified that victim as 65-year-old, Floyd Wayne Larkins, of Cottonwood.

Larkins’ next-of-kin has been notified and a postmortem examination will be scheduled, according to Stonehouse; who said the case remains open and under investigation by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.


UPDATED: Sunday, July 5, 2 p.m.

See Original Story below.

Shasta Lake, Calif. — Authorities have released additional information and details after a man drowned when a boat he was in sank on Shasta Lake yesterday morning, Saturday, July 4.

The victim who drowned was not wearing a life vest when the deadly accident happened, Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Unit Sgt. Rob Sandbloom has since said of what one witness later described as “a tragic, but preventable accident.”

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Shasta County sheriff’s deputies assigned to the department’s Boating Safety Unit and City of Shasta Lake, along with the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District and other medical personnel, were dispatched to the scene around 9 a.m., after SHASCOM emergency dispatchers received reports of a boat that sank near Dam Point on Shasta Lake.

911 callers reported that several victims were in the water and in distress, according to Sandbloom.

Officials from Shasta County Sheriff’s Boating Safety Unit say a man drowned after a boat he and three other people were in sank after a morning spent fishing near the Dry Fork Inlet yesterday morning. KRCR News Channel 7 photo

“When deputies arrived by land and water, they discovered one unresponsive adult male face down in the water,” explained Sandbloom.

Deputies pulled the victim from the water at which time fire and medical
personnel began performing CPR and providing first aid to the man; however, despite life-saving efforts the victim was pronounced deceased a short time later.

Boating Safety Unit deputies who investigated the deadly incident learned four people, including two men, a woman, and a child were on the boat when it began taking on water and sank.

The victims who survived the boat’s sinking have since been identified as Redding residents, 56-year-old, Cynthia Larkins, 34-year-old, Timothy Parker, and an unnamed juvenile male.

Deputies who found them along the shore near the scene later said “All three were wet, but uninjured.”

The victim’s name has not yet been released, pending further investigation and notification of the man’s family.

The trio told deputies they and the victim were in a small, twelve-foot, aluminum boat with an outboard motor attached when the boat began taking on water and sank.

“They said they launched the boat earlier this morning from Centimudi Boat Ramp,” explained Sandbloom; saying, “They went fishing near the Dry Fork Inlet, when water started coming in the boat.”

“They started to return to the boat ramp, when the boat completely sank,” Sandbloom continued.

As the small boat began sinking, the victims grabbed the only two life jackets that were on the boat, according to Sandbloom; who said, “The juvenile put on a life jacket when the boat sank and another life jacket was handed to the victim, which he did not put on.”

Although the three survivors swam to shore, the man who was later found deceased never made it to the shoreline.

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According to Sandbloom, it was not yet known why the boat sank and as of last night the vessel was still sitting at the bottom of the lake and had not yet been recovered.

Sandbloom said yesterday that officials were still working to determine when and how the boat will be recovered.

Officials have not yet specified if alcohol or drug intoxication were contributing factors in the deadly incident.

The sheriff’s investigation is ongoing and anyone who witnessed the fatal accident or who has information related to the ongoing investigation is urged to call the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Unit at (530) 245-6075.


Original Story: One dead after boat sinks at Shasta Lake

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. — Authorities have confirmed that a man drowned after a boat he was in sank on Shasta Lake earlier this morning, Saturday, July 4. The sinking and subsequent drowning happened near the Centimudi boat launch, along the southernmost portion of the lake, just east of Shasta Dam. 

The victim who drowned was not wearing a life vest when the deadly accident happened, Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Unit Sgt. Rob Sandbloom has since said of what one witness later described as “a tragic, but preventable accident.”

Deputies assigned to Shasta County Sheriff’s Boating Safety Unit and other emergency personnel were alerted to the crisis around 9 a.m., after receiving reports of a boat that sank with several victims in the water, according to Sandbloom.

When deputies arrived at the scene they learned four people, including two men, a woman, and a child were on the boat when it began taking on water and sank.

Although three of the victims were quickly accounted for, one of the men could not immediately be found. However, his body was eventually recovered and deputies’ preliminary on-scene investigation indicated the man likely drowned when the boat he was in sank.

The victim’s name has not yet been released, pending further investigation and notification of the man’s family.

Although the Centimudi Boat Ramp was temporarily closed while deputies investigated the deadly incident, it has since reopened, according to Sandbloom.

The Sgt. also reported that the boat that sunk is currently sitting at the bottom of the lake and officials were working to determine when and how the boat will be recovered.

Sandbloom later took the opportunity to remind boating enthusiasts as well as all visitors to the lake to always wear a life jacket or have some form of personal protective equipment while recreating on the water; especially during the busier than usual Fourth of July weekend and other holidays.

Sandbloom also reminded citizens that all recreational boaters are required to have a wearable life jacket for every person on board their vessel and that the vests be readily accessible in case of an emergency.

The Sgt. also said all recreational boats over sixteen-feet in length are required to have a Type IV throwable flotation device that is immediately accessible.

Officials have not yet specified how or why the boat sank and are still working to determine if alcohol or drug intoxication were contributing factors in the deadly incident.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.


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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.