Valencia boy's body found found in norcal river, ending search

VALENCIA, CA (FOX 11 / CNS) - Authorities in Mendocino County today found the body of a 12-year-old Valencia boy who died along with his parents and sister when their SUV tumbled into a river amid a driving rainstorm.

Siddhant Thottapilly was found about 4 p.m. downstream of the place where the SUV plunged into the Eel River in Leggett, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Once recovered the body was identified by family members.

About 11:30 a.m. Sunday, searchers found a vehicle submerged about four to six feet below the surface of the water, and about 6:30 p.m., the SUV was partially removed from the river by a tow truck and two bodies were found inside, according to the Mendicino County Sheriff's Office.

The bodies were those of Sandeep Thottapilly, 42, and his daughter Saachi Thottapilly, 9, the Mendicino County coroner's office reported.

On Friday, searchers found the body of Soumya Thottapilly, the 38-year-old wife of Sandeep and mother of Saachi, and made a positive identification of the remains on Sunday.

The Thottapilly family were traveling from Portland, Oregon, to San Jose when they "suddenly stopped communicating with family in Valencia" on April 5. Their last known location was near Klamath near the Oregon border.

Autopsies were pending.