Body found believed to be that of man who fell into Bay Area canal

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. — The suspected body of a man who fell into an Alameda County canal in late May was found earlier this week, the sheriff's office announced Friday.

A man matching the description of Lester Ashcraft, a 56-year-old Hollister resident, was found early Tuesday morning in the Delta-Mendota Canal near S. Tracy Boulevard in Tracy, according to the County Sheriff's Office. Alameda. An employee of the San Louis Delta Mendota Water Authority had reported seeing a body near the pump station.

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The tragedy was first reported shortly before 10 p.m. on May 31, when deputies were alerted to a possible drowning in the Delta-Mendota Canal, below Grant Line Road. A group of fishermen in the area said a man fell into the canal and was swept away by the fast current.

Ashcraft reportedly slipped down a steep embankment and the group he was with attempted to rescue him, but he was unable to stay afloat in the fast-moving current.

In an effort to find Ashcraft, the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority slowed the canal's current from 3,500 cubic feet per second to 900 cubic feet per second, the sheriff's office said, but the current was still dangerous for divers.

Despite searches by air, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and on foot, multi-agency efforts to locate Ashcraft were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office said on social media. Rescue teams also conducted additional searches on June 1, but were unable to locate him.

After June 2, Ashcraft's recovery was going to be “go with the flow,” the sheriff's office said.

Once Ashcraft was located near the pump station Tuesday, the water was still too dangerous to enter, the sheriff's office said. Deputies from the San Joaquin and Alameda County sheriff's offices responded, along with the Tracy Fire Department, who used a ladder truck and pulleys to recover Ashcraft's body.

According to the Alameda County Sheriff, the medical examiner found a wallet containing Ashcraft's identification card in the person's pocket. Although authorities are almost certain it is him, a full identification will be carried out to confirm it is Ashcraft, the sheriff's office said.

By Katy St. Clair / Bay City News

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