(KTXL) — The eight victims who died after a 27-foot boat capsized on Lake Tahoe over the weekend have been identified, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, including four family members who were celebrating a birthday.
The deadly incident happened Saturday afternoon when a sudden thunderstorm whipped up waves that were over eight feet high, according to Nexstar’s KTXL.
The sheriff’s office confirms the victims to be:
- 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich of Redwood City, CA
- 73-year-old Terry Pickles of from Redwood City, CA
- 37-year-old Joshua Antony Pickles of San Francisco
- 72-year-old Peter Bayes of Lincoln, CA
- 71-year-old Timothy O’Leary from Auburn, CA
- 66-year-old Theresa Giullari of Honeoye, NY
- 69-year-old James Guck of Honeoye, NY
- 63-year-old Stephen Lindsay of Springwater, NY
Minutes after the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDCSO) identified the victims, the widow of 37-year-old Joshua Pickles, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, released a statement to KTXL mourning her husband and the other victims.
“We lost my loving husband Josh Pickles, his parents Terry Pickles and Paula Bozinovich, and Uncle Peter Bayes, as well as friends in this tragedy,” the emailed statement read. “No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake. Our hearts go out to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and deadly storm on Lake Tahoe.”
The group was celebrating Paula Bozinovich’s birthday on her son’s boat, which he bought about a year ago, said Sam Singer, a family spokesperson.
Josh Pickles’ wife had stayed at home taking care of their 7-month-old daughter, Singer said.
The couple, who married in 2023, both worked at tech companies in San Francisco. Josh worked at DoorDash and Jordan at AirBNB, Singer said.
They split their time between homes in the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, where they had used their boat only twice before.
Ravi Inukonda, Chief Financial Officer at DoorDash, said the death of Josh, who had worked at the company for nearly seven years, left them heartbroken.
“Josh loved his team and was an inspiration to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” Inukonda said in a statement. “Our thoughts and love are with his wife, his daughter, his family, and all who were close to him.”
EDCSO said deputies responded to reports of an overturned boat containing 10 people on South Lake Tahoe around 3 p.m. on June 21, near D.L. Bliss State Park.
Emergency crews arrived to find six people dead and two people missing. Two others were rescued, deputies confirmed, but their conditions weren’t known Tuesday.
“The waves were so big that the water came onboard and started to fill the boat up and stalled the engine,” Singer said.
The body of one of the missing people was recovered on Sunday evening, while the body of the last missing person was found around 2:40 p.m. on Monday.
“The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest heartfelt condolences to the families of those who were lost and all those who have been affected by this tragic event,” sheriff’s officials wrote in a Facebook post.
The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled up more than 8 feet (2.5 meters).
“We weren’t expecting it to be so strong,” Chyba said Monday. He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass.
Police said that while several drowning and other accidental deaths happen each year at Lake Tahoe, it’s not common to have so many deaths tied to one incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
