Placer County sheriff's officials on Monday recovered the bodies of two people believed to be the two fishermen who were swept away and presumably drowned Saturday in the North Fork American River near Auburn.
One of the missing fishermen is believed to be a relative of a California state lawmaker.
A sheriff's aerial drone operator initially spotted the bodies of two men downriver from where the fishermen were last seen Saturday evening, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office. Authorities have not released the names of the two missing men.
"We are still working to positively identify the two victims," sheriff's officials said Monday afternoon in a Facebook post. "The recovery operation was extremely technical and in a portion of the river with rapids and strong current."
A relative of California Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, is believed to be among the two missing men. The state lawmaker's representatives said Rubio's relative was living with her as he pursued his education in California.
"Assemblymember Rubio is awaiting the outcome of an ongoing missing persons search near the American River," according to a written statement from Rubio's office. "We remain hopeful for a positive outcome as Placer and Sacramento County Sheriff's offices continue their search and rescue efforts."
The Placer sheriff's dive team, in coordination with CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, recovered the bodies of two men found in the American River.
Sheriff's officials said authorities used a complex pulley system of ropes attached to a boat as the divers carefully navigated themselves to the middle of the river and retrieve the bodies.
The Sheriff's Office was first called to the area about 9 p.m. Saturday for a report that two men had been swept away and had not resurfaced.
Three 20-year-olds were fishing in the Oregon Bar area of the river Saturday. Sheriff's officials said two men had entered the water at that time, and one was swept away around 7 p.m. The second man tried to help but was also pulled in by the river, which was running high and fast after recent rainfall from an atmospheric river.
Authorities responded to the area Saturday night with the dive team but were unable to conduct a search on the water due to darkness and the fast-moving current. A search of the nearby shore and an aerial search by helicopter were unsuccessful.
Sheriff's officials relaunched the search effort on Sunday on both sides of the river with K9 teams and the dive team. Drones were on standby to aid the search but were impeded by a thick morning fog. A sheriff's helicopter also joined the search.
"We extend our condolences to the loved ones impacted by this tragedy," sheriff's officials said Monday.