Missing 83-year-old man found dead in Hansen Dam Lake after three-day search
Missing man found dead in Hansen Dam Lake
While Ramiro Herrera's official cause of death is accidental drowning, there is no way to know exactly how he ended up in the lake.
LOS ANGELES - A family outing at Hansen Dam ended in tragedy after Ramiro Herrera vanished during a walk and was found dead in the lake three days later.
While the coroner has officially ruled his death an accidental drowning, the 83-year-old's family is raising sharp questions about the police and park rangers' search response.
What we know:
Herrera set out for a walk at around noon on Sunday, August 9, while attending an annual family gathering in a picnic area at Hansen Dam, according to his relatives.
Herrera was an avid hiker who had navigated the trail leading to the lake before, though he chose to set out during extreme summer heat despite his wife's pleas to stay.
The terrain surrounding the lake is notoriously steep, featuring sharp drop-offs into deceivingly deep water that present hazards even during the summer months. Park rangers patrol the area in vehicles, and do discourage people from getting too close to the water.
When Herrera failed to return, concerned family members flagged down park rangers, who subsequently contacted the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD deployed helicopters and drones to scan the area until nightfall on the first evening, while park officials continued searching over the next three days using 4-wheel-drive vehicles and drones.
Herrera's family organized their own search parties and printed missing-person posters.
The search concluded three days later when Herrera’s body was retrieved from the water using boats, with the coroner later attributing his death to "accidental drowning."
What we don't know:
It's unknown how Herrera ended up in the water.
His 73-year-old wife, Rosa Ohm, recalled warning him that it was too hot for a walk, leaving relatives to wonder if he approached the water's steep edge in an attempt to cool off.
Significant discrepancies also remain regarding the final recovery efforts.
Park officials assert that one of their drones spotted the body, whereas the family maintains that a member of their private search team located Herrera first and immediately alerted nearby rangers.
Questions linger regarding why search dogs were never brought in.
FOX 11 has reached out to the LAPD for comment but has not heard back.
What they're saying:
Family members expressed immense grief alongside frustration regarding the authorities' communication.
Ohm shared that she pleaded with her husband before he vanished, noting she "told him it was too hot to go for a walk."
Herrera’s daughter, Gabby Conde, raised serious concerns about the guidance provided by search personnel, claiming that park rangers told the family not to bother searching in the lake, because they had done so and Herrera wasn’t there.
Conde further alleged she was informed there were no "funds" to bring out search dogs.
In response to the family's critiques, Chief Joe Losorelli of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks defended the official agency response, maintaining that rangers actively searched throughout the entire multi-day window and that it was ultimately one of their drones that located Herrera's body.
The Source: This report is based on statements from Ramiro Herrera's family members, including his wife Rosa Ohm and daughter Gabby Conde, as well as official accounts provided by Chief Joe Losorelli of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and findings from the county coroner. Information regarding initial emergency responses reflects direct accounts of family interactions with park rangers and the Los Angeles Police Department during the three-day search.