Missing California mother and 8-month-old daughter found dead in canal, family says

By Cecilio Padilla, Esteban Reynoso, Madisen Keavy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KOVR) - Relatives say the bodies of a Sacramento County woman and her infant daughter have been found in their vehicle in a canal near Oakdale. 

Whisper Owen and her 8-month-old daughter Sandra McCarty were reported missing on July 15. They were last seen in Fresno. Authorities confirmed that Owen's vehicle was spotted on traffic cameras in the Atwater area later on the night she was reported missing.

California Highway Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for the case. 

On Sunday, the search group Adventures With Purpose and diver Juan Heredia went out to a location in rural west Oakdale to search for the mother and daughter. 

Owen's family tells CBS News Sacramento that police pinged her phone, revealing the last ping was at a canal in the area. Owen's vehicle was then discovered pinned under a bridge, the search group says. The bodies of Owen and McCarty were also discovered, the family said. 

"It means we can find some way to move forward and accept this loss. She has other children that have to find a way to move on without their mother or their baby sister," said Richard Owen, Whisper's brother.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office's search team responded to the area and said they located an adult and an infant in the vehicle. 

The California Highway Patrol will investigate how the vehicle ended up in the water. The Fresno Police Department said it sent two detectives to the scene Sunday to continue its investigation.