MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — It’s now day three of the search for 70-year-old Richard Daly in Merced County.
The sheriff’s office says Daly hasn’t been seen since he was dropped off near Highway 59 and the Merced River Bridge around 10 am Sunday.
“He was going to float in an inflatable raft from that location to the Shaffer bridge and be picked up by a friend,” MCSO Captain Aaron Rosenberg explained.
That friend contacted law enforcement when Daly never turned up at Shaffer Bridge, and the search for him began.
“Initial search was conducted with UAVs and the Stanislaus County helicopter, which is equipped with fleer, but they were unable to locate Mr. Daly,” Rosenberg stated.
The sheriff’s office water rescue and recovery team then jumped in.
“We found his raft; it had been turned upside down. It was on a small jetty coming out of the river. We can’t find him,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said.
Detectives say the raft was found about three miles from where he entered the river, narrowing their search area.
Investigators and divers were seen searching that three-mile stretch of water Tuesday afternoon, which officials say can be very dangerous and unpredictable.
“We’ve got expert divers in the water with a raft that’s designed for this kind of stuff, and I watched them struggle with the current,” Sheriff Warnke explained.
Officials say he was last seen wearing a gray and green jacket with a black hood, black hat, jeans and boots.
Anyone with information should contact the sheriff’s office or 911.
