Authorities in Merced County are searching for a 21-year-old mother who disappeared early Wednesday when a dune buggy carrying four people flipped into the Delta-Mendota Canal near State Route 140, investigators said. Deputies, divers and boat teams have combed the waterway and banks for days as family members keep vigil along the canal.
Relatives identified the missing woman as Lupita Ontiveros of Stockton, whose 18-month-old daughter has been with loved ones since the crash. The California Highway Patrol said the off-road vehicle left the canal bank shortly after midnight Wednesday and landed in the fast-moving water. Three people, including the driver, made it to shore; Ontiveros did not surface. Officials say the search has stretched downstream as winter releases push strong currents through the irrigation canal, limiting when and where dive teams can work. The case remains a recovery effort pending new information, according to the sheriff’s office, and investigators are mapping timelines while speaking with witnesses.
CHP investigators said the dune buggy was recovered from the canal later Wednesday, while the missing passenger was not found in or near the vehicle. The driver, 21-year-old Elixandro Naranjo Miranda, fled the scene but was later arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and booked into the Merced County jail, authorities said. Two passengers who reached the bank were treated for moderate injuries. Family members said Ontiveros did not know how to swim. “We’ve walked every inch we can,” her uncle, Cesar Ontiveros, said as relatives paced the levee and watched search crews. Deputies have marked possible drag points along the bank and used poles to check snags in reeds and culverts while boats idled in eddies to gauge safe entry for divers.
Officials said recovery teams are coordinating among the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, CHP and local fire departments. Crews have used boats, drones and thermal cameras to scan the water’s surface and adjacent fields. Canal managers provided flow data to help plot likely travel distances for a missing person in current. Investigators are also reviewing 911 calls and speaking with occupants of a second dune buggy that was nearby when the crash occurred. Authorities have not released speed estimates, lighting conditions or whether alcohol may have been a factor, saying those details are part of the ongoing investigation. The canal’s steep, algae-slicked concrete walls and winter-chilled water have complicated the operation and narrowed windows for safe dives.
The crash site sits along a rural stretch west of the San Joaquin Valley’s farm towns, where unlit service roads run beside canals used to move water across the region. Law enforcement officials said off-roaders sometimes ride along the banks after dark despite the risks, which include soft shoulders and sudden drop-offs. Records show winter flows in the Delta-Mendota Canal often increase as reservoirs and pumping stations balance supplies, creating a steady pull that can carry debris—and people—far from entry points. In past incidents on Central Valley canals, searchers have relied on slow, methodical downstream sweeps, sonar when available, and spot checks at grates and turnouts where objects may collect.
Legal steps are proceeding alongside the search. CHP said it will forward its case file to prosecutors after collision reconstruction and interviews are complete. The arrest of the driver on a hit-and-run allegation is a preliminary action; a charging decision will rest with the Merced County District Attorney after investigators finish gathering statements and reviewing any on-board or bystander video. Authorities have not announced citations tied to trespass or vehicle code violations on canal property. Officials declined to say whether the recovered dune buggy will undergo additional mechanical testing beyond standard documentation.
Through the weekend, relatives, friends and volunteers gathered on the levees in jackets and work boots, calling Ontiveros’s name across the water and scanning the surface for any sign. A family member described the scene as “hours of waiting and watching” between passes by search boats. Drivers on nearby farm roads slowed as deputies positioned trucks along the shoulder and used floodlights to illuminate staging areas. “It’s heartbreaking,” said a woman who joined the search after seeing posts online. “She has a little girl.” Nearby, deputies briefed crews on the latest current estimates before rotating teams downstream to check siphons and bridge pilings.
As of Monday, Ontiveros remained missing. The sheriff’s office said the next update would follow scheduled downstream checks and a re-evaluation of dive conditions along key segments of the canal. Investigators plan to complete additional witness interviews this week and review scene diagrams before turning a fuller report over to prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated February 2, 2026.