Juan Patino, 39, was recovered Friday after a hazardous search at National Raisin Company.
FOWLER, Calif. — A 39-year-old National Raisin Company employee was found dead Friday morning inside an industrial water digester at the company’s Fowler facility after he went missing during a Thursday shift, police said.
Juan Patino, of Fowler, was last seen working in a treatment area of the plant, where he had been assigned to pump rainwater off a tarp covering the digester. His death brought a large emergency response and opened workplace and law enforcement investigations into how he entered the covered basin.
Fowler police said the search began Thursday afternoon after co-workers reported that Patino had not been heard from since about 2:30 p.m. Police Chief Greg Gularte said Patino had last been seen around 1:10 p.m. in the treatment area, where he was actively pumping rainwater from the tarp. Employees searched the plant after he did not check out from work. They found that his work vehicle had not moved, his hard hat and work cart were still near the assigned area, and a tear was visible in the canvas cover over the water digester.
Emergency radio traffic first described the call as a rescue for an employee who may have fallen into a digester. Officers searched the facility and nearby areas, then contacted family members as they tried to account for Patino. The effort shifted toward the covered industrial pond after the evidence near the digester suggested he had been working there before he disappeared. “A hard helmet and cart was left in place but no visual of Juan,” Gularte said. Police said the exact sequence of events remained under review, including whether Patino fell, became trapped or entered the digester in another way.
The recovery was delayed because the digester contained hazardous material that standard rescue crews could not safely enter, officials said. Gularte said the basin held highly caustic chemicals and sludge, requiring specialized divers and equipment. A commercial dive team from Utah was called to the facility and arrived before crews resumed operations Friday morning. Officials said the team had worked at the facility before and was familiar with the kind of conditions crews faced. Firefighters, police, sheriff’s deputies, environmental health workers and workplace safety officials were among the responders at the scene.
When crews returned to the digester Friday, Patino’s body had floated to the surface, Gularte said. Divers still had to use specialized gear to reach him safely. The body was recovered between about 10 and 10:30 a.m., according to officials. Identification found with him helped confirm who he was. Authorities had not released a cause or manner of death as of Friday, and an autopsy was expected to help determine whether he drowned, suffered chemical exposure, was injured in a fall or died from another cause.
At least 50 responders were involved in the search and recovery, officials said. Agencies at or connected to the scene included the Fowler Police Department, Cal Fire, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Cal/OSHA and the Environmental Health Department. The case was being treated as an industrial accident while investigators reviewed the work site, equipment, employee accounts and the torn tarp over the digester. No charges, citations or enforcement actions had been announced Friday. Officials also had not said whether any safety barrier, mechanical issue or work procedure contributed to Patino’s death.
National Raisin Company President and CEO Joe Leon said the death was a painful loss for the Fowler facility and the wider company. “This is a heartbreaking loss for our entire organization,” Leon said in a statement. “Our employees are like family.” Leon said the company was cooperating with authorities and would not release more details while the investigation continued. He said the company was focused on supporting employees and honoring Patino’s memory. National Raisin Company is based in Fowler and describes itself as a major dried fruit supplier that grows, processes, packages and ships raisins and other dried fruit products.
The plant is in the heart of Fresno County’s raisin-growing region, where food processing and farm-related work remain major parts of the local economy. Industrial digesters and treatment ponds can be used to handle wastewater or waste from food production, and they may present hazards from depth, covers, gases, chemicals, sludge and limited access. Officials did not describe the full design of the digester involved in Patino’s death. They also did not say Friday whether the tarp was intended as a cover, a weather barrier or part of another plant process.
Cal/OSHA’s role could include inspecting the area, interviewing workers and managers, reviewing training and procedures, and checking equipment or barriers used around the digester. The agency investigates workplace fatalities and can issue citations if investigators find safety violations. Fowler police were continuing to document the scene and gather information for the death investigation. Officials had not announced a deadline for public findings, and the release of final reports may depend on autopsy results, workplace records and the pace of the safety review.
Family members, co-workers and friends waited outside the facility as crews worked through the hazardous recovery. Gularte described the death as a traumatic event for Patino’s loved ones, the business and the people who worked with him. One Fowler man, who said he had a loved one working for the company, said the news was difficult to understand even for people who did not personally know Patino. “I was shocked,” he said. “It’s just crazy. Out of nowhere, you are at work and the next day something happens.”
By Friday evening, Patino had been recovered and identified, but key questions remained open. Investigators had not released his cause of death or a final account of how he entered the digester. Cal/OSHA and local authorities continued their reviews.
Author note: Last updated April 25, 2026.