News & Columns > Michael P. Neufeld > Big Bear Lake Drowning Victim Identified (Update 8)

Big Bear Lake Drowning Victim Identified (Update 8)

Ta Ming Fu from Alhambra

By Michael P. Neufeld
Friday, July 10, 2009

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Update 8 - Friday 5:25 a.m.

Big Bear Lake, CA - The body of a 33-year-old Alhambra man was recovered from Big Bear Lake yesterday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The County Coroner has identified the man as Ta Ming Fu who drowned July 3 while trying to assist a friend who apparently got into trouble after jumping in the lake to cool off.

Fu's body was discovered yesterday by a jet skier who reported the find to authorities. Sheriff's Department Dive Team members recovered the body.

An autopsy will be performed by the Coroner to determine the exact cause of Fu's death.

Update 7 - Thursday 11:15 a.m.

Big Bear Lake, CA - The body of a male adult has been recovered from Big Bear Lake, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The Coroner has taken charge of the case. The identity of the person has not been revealed.

Update 6 - Thursday 9:37 a.m.

Big Bear Lake - The search for the missing 33-year-old man who disappeared in Big Bear Lake last Friday may be over. A body was found on Big Bear Lake this morning, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Spokesperson Cindy Beavers explained the body was found floating face down about the middle of the lake shortly after 8:30 a.m. today.

The Sheriff's Department Dive Team has been dispatched to the scene along with the Coroner. Deputies from the Big Bear Station are on scene.

Update 5 - Monday 1:12 p.m.

Big Bear Lake, CA - The search for the missing 33-year-old man who disappeared in Big Bear Lake on Friday is now passive, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Five divers continued the search of the unidentified man on Sunday but about 2:30 p.m. the search concluded and the operation ended without locating the body, according spokesperson Arden Wiltshire.

The search for a 33-year-old Asian male at Big Bear Lake is now passive with dive team members no longer involved in attempts to recover the body, according to a Sheriffs Department official. (Photo by CasperNews.)

Wiltshire indicated a Sheriff's Department boat and several lake patrol boats were still conducting a passive search in the area of the incident but that divers were not conducting a search for the missing Asian male.

The Public Affairs office has been inundated by media requests for the name of the victim but Wiltshire said the office was not authorized to provide that information.

The man reportedly drowned while trying to help a friend on Friday who apparently jumped into Big Bear Lake to cool off.

The initial response was by lake patrol, members of the Sheriff's Department Dive Team and San Bernardino County Fire Station 49 in Fawnskin. Big Bear City Fire personnel also responded.

LAST DROWNING

Three men fishing in Big Bear Lake on April 19, 2007 drowned near Fawnskin after their 14-foot aluminum boat apparently capsized.

The bodies of the three men were discovered at 6:23 a.m. on Friday, April 20, 2007. They were identified as James Swanson, 73, and Everett Richard Price, age 76, both from Escondido, and Romaine Maiefski, 70, from Oceanside.

The San Bernardino County Coroner listed the cause of the deaths of Maiefski and Price as hypothermia and immersion. Swanson died from acute pericarditis, a heart condition, and passed away shortly after falling into the water. His companions died while apparently trying to rescue him.

Lake records show the temperature of Big Bear Lake at the time of the 2007 accident was about 49 degrees.

Update 4 - Monday 4:25 a.m.

Big Bear Lake, CA - Divers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department will gather on the shores of Big Bear Lake today to discuss efforts to locate the body of an Alhambra man who apparently drowned on Friday.

Yesterday, five divers searched unsucessfully for the unidentified victim who reportedly drowned while trying to assist a friend who got into trouble while swimming. The friend and a third person made it back to the boat safely.

Their efforts were terminated for the day about 2:30 p.m. Sunday when the water became choppy making rescue efforts dangerous for the dive team.

Update 3 - Sunday 4:45 a.m.

Big Bear Lake, CA - The search for the body of an Alhambra man resumes at Big Bear Lake today after choppy water and heavy boat traffic forced officials to halt the search yesterday.

A member of the Sheriffs Department Dive Team participates in a recent drill at Silverwood Lake. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

Divers, utilizing sonar equipment, had several close calls when boaters entered the general area of the search. Therefore, a decision was made early yesterday afternoon to halt the search until today, July 5.

Update 2 - Saturday 5:30 p.m.

Big Bear Lake, CA - Divers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department have not recovered the body of an Alhambra man who drowned in Big Bear Lake yesterday.

Using sonar equipment, authorities located a target at 8:51 a.m. this morning but it proved not to be the body of the missing man.

The identity of man has not been released by the San Bernardino County Coroner pending notification of next of kin.

Original Story

Big Bear Lake, CA - Divers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department are resuming their search today for a man missing in Big Bear Lake.

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Dive Team participates in a recent drill at Silverwood Lake. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

The search, that began yesterday just before 3:30 p.m. after the unidentified 33-year-old Alhambra man reportedly jumped in the lake to help a swimmer in trouble, was scheduled to start again this morning. The name is being withheld until next of kin can be notified.

The incident was first reported to Lake Patrol and then transferred to the Sheriff's Department. Lake Patrol established a perimeter around the site of the drowning as a Sheriff's helicopter assisted the Dive Team.

One of the helicopters utilized by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's department for Search and Rescue efforts. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

Sonar technology will be utilized today to assist divers in locating the body of the missing man.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is asking all Big Bear Lake boaters to respect the Lake Patrol perimeter near the Observatory off the north shore of the lake.

The command post for the incident is the Big bear Municipal Water District headquarters.

At 6:01 p.m. yesterday, the the Lake incident commander declared the operation a recovery rather than a search and rescue effort.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to CasperNews for making a photo available to RIMOFTHEWORLD.net

This article was first published on Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 5:34 am. This article has been viewed 8464 times.

Michael P. Neufeld, Senior News Editor, is a graduate of the Dwight Bentel School of Journalism at San Jose State University. His first job out of San Jose State was with the Associated Press in Los Angeles as overnight Radio Editor. Prior to joining RIMOFTHEWORLD.net, Neufeld was editor of two weekly newspapers—THE MOUNTAIN NEWS and CRESTLINE COURIER-NEWS. He also has experience as editor of an employee newspaper for a major utility company and during his tenure as executive director of the San Jose State University Alumni Association served as faculty advisor to the association's monthly newsletter. He also spent eight years in commercial radio doing everything from news to advertising sales and writing commercials to being an announcer and on-air personality. Neufeld is actively involved the mountain communities including serving as master of ceremonies for the Arrowhead Arts Music Festival held each summer.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. This column is copyrighted by Michael P. Neufeld.