Arizona Watcher
Search teams working through heavy monsoon conditions recovered multiple bodies in Santa Cruz County and Pima County over two days, officials said.
North of Nogales, the first body was recovered around 10 a.m. Friday near kilometer marker 22 just off I-19. The victim was described as an adult male in his mid-30s and tattoos were photographed to aid identification.
The following morning search teams located the body of a woman and a third set of remains in the same wash. All three individuals were transported to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for identification and cause-of-death determinations.
Nogales officers first spotted two bodies while passing the Ruby Road and Rio Rico bridges during heavy downpour. Multiple agencies participated in searches after 1 to 2.5 inches of rain produced rapidly changing wash flows.
Separately near Tucson, deputies recovered the body of 29-year-old Ernesto Ojeda from the Santa Cruz River about 1 p.m. Saturday after search efforts following a report he was swept down Julian Wash on Friday.
Ojeda had been reported missing by his family, who said he functions at about the level of a 10-year-old, a detail cited to describe his vulnerabilities. His body was taken to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.
Investigators photographed identifying marks, notified consular authorities in at least one case, and moved recovered remains to the medical examiner as officials work to confirm identities and determine causes of death.
Authorities stressed the hazards of sudden monsoon runoff in washes and river channels, urged caution near waterways after heavy rains, and said search-and-rescue units remain vigilant as investigations continue.
Three bodies were recovered from a wash north of Nogales following heavy monsoon rainfall, and a fourth body — that of a missing Tucson man — was located in the Santa Cruz River south of Tucson. Authorities say search and rescue efforts by multiple agencies and recent storm…