Play it now! Learn more about managing a memorial . FOLLOW MORE IBT NEWS ON THE BELOW CHANNELS, IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. A thorough autopsy will be conducted, said Byers, who presumes the diver suffered a heart attack or stroke, or simply ran out of air. Hopefully well determine what happened.. Birth: 19 Dec 1949 Tulare County, California, United States of America. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Woman with tuberculosis to be arrested this Friday and drugged against her will after refusing treatment for a year - so is it government overreach or fair enough? Although El Dorado County authorities say he had no close relatives, those who counted him as a friend are thankful this mystery has been resolved. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Maybe thats why everythings shrouded in mystery there. Windecker reportedly experienced difficulty with his equipment and began to sink. But trouble occurred toward the end of the dive as the pair began to ascend. A system error has occurred. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. And then they introduced salmon and crawfish toclean up the damage? Dianna Jensen (#46486576)Donald Christopher Windeckers' request for his final resting place was to be cremated and have his ashes spread over Lake Tahoe. ", Stephen Drew, retired chief curator for the California State Railroad Museum, says, "I don't believe there is any credence in the rumor you are trying to track down -- in fact, far from it. El Dorado County officials told the Times that Windecker had no close relatives, but Mike Ramos, who once worked with Windecker for the city of Reno, told the Gazette-Journal that Windecker had a wife and two small children, who have since moved out of state: Ramos said that the morning Windecker left to go diving, he left his son a candy bar and note thanking him for being a good boy. "When we die, our bodies stop breathing and the bacteria kick into gear breaking down our bodies. The crawfish immediately went to the deepest coldest parts of the lake, and crawfish will eat anything. A remote-controlled mini-submarine equipped with a robotic claw raised the remains on July 27. Dental records were used to identify Donald Christopher Windecker, from Reno, who was reported missing in July 1994 when he was diving with a friend at the lake. In cold water, the lower temperatures make them relatively inactive. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Israel beefs up troops after unprecedented settler rampage, Ukrainian refugees in Poland will now be charged to stay in state-funded housing, This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky, Kneel and apologize!: 76 years after island-wide massacre, Taiwan continues to commemorate and debate the tragedy. Although El Dorado County authorities say he had no close relatives, those who counted him as a friend are thankful this mystery has been resolved. He may have had a heart attack or a stroke or maybe just ran out of air. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Death: 10 Jul 1994 United States of America. Make sure that the file is a photo. Copyright 2023 IBTimes LLC. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. When such stories happen, myths about bodies. Almost two decades later, an unidentified group of mixed-gas divers discovered Windeckers body while exploring cliff walls almost 300 feet below the surface. Windecker was reported missing in July of 1994 when he was scuba diving in Lake Tahoe with a friend. News reports at the time of his disappearance described Windecker as a 44-year-old former city planner from Reno, Nev., who set out for a dive on July 10, 1994. 9 places you must eat and drink in North Lake Tahoe, Tahoe's historic Cal Neva Lodge set for renovation; old cabins torn down, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Other stories about oddities beneath Lake Tahoe have been debunked by experts. Resend Activation Email. Besides, McLaughlin says, the mob was more focused in Southern Nevada and "it's easier to bury a body out in the desert, which precludes the risk of the body washing up on the shore.". "All of our bodies have bacteria that live in them," she said. By Rachel Quigley Updated: 21:37 EST, 8 August 2011. Marriage & Divorce. Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries. Kai Ma is a TIME contributor. he said. The body of Donald Christopher Windecker was found by a deep diver wedged inside of a rock crevice in Lake Tahoe, near Rubicon Point, on July 24. He did not identify members of the group. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Windecker was first reported missing in July 1994 when he was scuba diving in Lake Tahoe with a friend, said sheriff's Lt. Bryan Golmitz. Windecker's body was discovered in 265 feet of water by a recreational diver in late July off Rubicon Point along Lake Tahoe's west shore. He never returned. I went to high school there and I remember it was commonly accepted that there were still Native Americans and pioneers still preserved in the lake. We have set your language to (via Los Angeles Times) At the time of his disappearance, Windecker was a 44-year-old. 2023 www.dispatch.com. Days after the July 23 sighting, a remote-controlled mini-submarine with a robotic claw pulled the scuba divers body from the underwater shelf on the lakes west side. The body of Donald Christopher Windecker was found by a deep diver wedged inside of a rock crevice in Lake Tahoe, near Rubicon Point, on July 24. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Are YOU at risk of being cancelled? On July 10, 1994, Donald Christopher Windecker set out for a dive in Lake Tahoe. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. It doesn't appear in any feeds, and anyone with a direct link to it will see a message like this one. Add to your scrapbook. The name of Donald Christopher Windecker was released today Hopefully we'll determine what happened.". Even if it was just three or four guys you didn't pay, that (news) would ripple through the workforce.". Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States and the tenth deepest in the world, with a maximum depth measured at 1,645 feet. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Cremated, Ashes scattered. Thread starter ctaylor; Start date Aug 9, 2011; New Posts. When he came back up, he said he would not film it because the world was not ready to see what the U.S government did to these poor people. Officials delayed releasing Windeckers name until dental records confirmed his identity. Learn more about merges. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Among those rumored to populate its depths are Chinese laborers who helped construct the railroad across the Sierra Nevada in the 1860s as well gamblers and mobsters killed by the Mafia. Authorities at Lake Tahoe have identified the remains of a scuba diver who disappeared in the lake's waters 17 years ago. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Hard to tell, but if hundreds of bodies are down there, no one has found them -- despite the huge money-making possibilities from such a historic find. Were not investigating this as a homicide,Golmitz said. Windecker's whole body was still in his wetsuit and boots when he was found, thus providing more evidence for how long bodies can be preserved down there. "He was an outgoing person. It was then recovered by sheriffs officials with the use of a remote-operated submersible vehicle July 27. People forget that our mayor back in the 80s was busted for cocaine trafficking. Accompanied by a friend, he set out for a dive on July 10, 1994, and never returned.By Bob Pool, Los Angeles TimesAugust 9, 2011Authorities at Lake Tahoe on Monday solved the mystery of a scuba diver who disappeared 17 years ago in the mountain lake's deep, frigid waters.The well-preserved body of Donald Christopher Windecker was discovered July 23 on an underwater shelf, 265 feet below the surface. He always had a positive attitude.". Byers said those in the diving group were startled to see Windeckers motionless form. Accompanied by a friend, Windecker planned to swim to a depth of about 100 feet.But trouble occurred toward the end of the dive as the pair began to ascend. More:9 places you must eat and drink in North Lake Tahoe, More:Tahoe's historic Cal Neva Lodge set for renovation; old cabins torn down. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! And authorities say they have used sonar and mini-subs to map the lake's bottom and never found such a graveyard. Donald Christopher Windecker's body was recovered and identified this month 17 years after the Reno city planner died in a Tahoe diving accident. Family members linked to this person will appear here. From a pathological standpoint its pretty incredible, he said. Two points apply for our purposes: Bodies in Tahoe tend not to float but they do not stay preserved and are eventually broken down by their own bacteria as well as by marine organisms. Best quality coke is made from crawfish. Lake Tahoe expert and author Mark McLaughlin has his doubts. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Jim Byers. Windeckers body was discovered in 265 feet of water by a recreational diver in late July off Rubicon Point along Tahoes west shore. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. His friend tried to help, but then began running out of air and had to leave Windecker behind. Windeckers body was clad in a wetsuit and buckled into a weight belt and air tank. Others contend the watery grave contains card cheats and mobsters killed by the Mafia and anchored to the lake bottom by concrete-filled casino ice buckets, "wearing pinstriped suits, with sneers on their faces and bullet holes in their foreheads," as the San Francisco Chronicle put it in 2004.Tales persist that a "longtime Tahoe fire chief" responded to a drowning call and found the body of a well-preserved Native American girl, fully clothed in a 19th century ceremonial dress, floating in the lake.But Cousteau never explored the lake. So it's really a story about hooker, line and sinker. With a friend, he set out to explore the deep waters of Tahoe, but began to sinkalong with his equipmentas the pair started to ascend. 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