Updated August 20, 2025:
On August 17th the bodies of Whisper Owen and her eight-month-old baby Sandra were found inside their submerged 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer in a canal east of Escalon, CA.
The volunteer group AWP (Adventures With Purpose), renowned for its work in finding missing persons, teamed with legendary diver Juan Heredia in locating the Trailblazer under a bridge where Hwy. 120 crosses the South San Joaquin Main Canal.
Whisper’s brother Richard Owen called me from the scene on August 17th to share the heartbreaking news.
During the course of my investigation into the baffling case, Richard and I had spoken multiple times. I found him to be coolheaded in a time of crisis and willing to offer information and analysis even though he was distraught.
Richard was kind enough to send me photos as the recovery was taking place and to share his thoughts about what may have happened.
With the canal unlit and unprotected, perhaps Whisper pulled off the road and didn’t realize she was in peril. Given that Whisper suffered from dangerously high blood pressure, it’s possible she had some sort of medical emergency.
“I’m devastated but also relieved that the search is over,” said Richard. “I’m disappointed with law enforcement – I feel that efforts should have been made sooner.”
I shared Richard’s frustration because the South San Joaquin canal was a waterway I flagged when I searched the area on August 9th and 10th.
But I didn’t have the resources to investigate further and instead relied on law enforcement to do this.
On August 12th, and previously, on August 4th and 7th, I sent emails to the Fresno Police Department urging them to check canals and waterways along Whisper’s travel route.
But the Trailblazer wasn’t found until AWP and Heredia searched under a bridge across the canal on August 17th, more than a month after Whisper and Sandra disappeared.
Previously, the Trailblazer carrying Whisper and Sandra had been tracked on surveillance cameras on the evening of July 15th heading north through the cities of Atwater, Waterford, and Oakdale.
But about five miles west of Oakdale, the Trailblazer went into the canal. According to AWP and Richard Owen, it appears that Whisper made efforts to save Sandra before the two of them perished.
TV footage of the Trailblazer being removed from the canal revealed that the sunroof was open. Because the car landed upright in the canal, maybe Whisper could have escaped but instead tried to free her baby from the carseat?
As with other aspects of this tragic case, the final moments remain a mystery…
