Perhaps it was ducks that moved the kokanee salmon to the rivers there probably are a couple bodies at the bottom of the lake. Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Donald Christopher Windecker's well-preserved body was found July 23 on an underwater shelf, 265 feet below the surface, The Los Angeles Times reports. Donald Christopher Windecker. Decided to do a little further research for you and found that he was born in Tulare County, California on December 19, 1949. "We'll be able to do a thorough autopsy. But trouble occurred toward the end of the dive as the pair began to ascend. "When we die, our bodies stop breathing and the bacteria kick into gear breaking down our bodies. Conventional scuba divers have to stop at about 100 feet. Donald Christopher Hinds (born: December 29, 1994 (1994-12-29) [age 28]), better known online as Young Don The Sauce God, is a Jamaican-American YouTuber and animator who currently resides in San Diego. His companion reportedly tried to help, but was forced to surface after he began running out of air. But, very obviously he was deceased.. based on information from your browser. Both are repeated in numerous places, but both also appear in one message at Snopes.com, the urban myth checking website. Pete Van Arnum recalled hearing tales of Mafia members dumping bodies in Lake Tahoe back in the 1950s."That may or may not be true, but we can't be sure because we can't go down that far," said Van Arnum, a member of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department and former coroner.What, or whom, Lake Tahoe holds in its average depth of 1,000 feet is a mystery, except for those who . Him and Ciro Mancuso were probably buddies. In other words, if the railroad companies were killing off Chinese workers by the hundreds to avoid paying them, it's unlikely so many would still be working for them after construction was finished. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. The freshwater mountain lake, located along the border of California and Nevada, has a storied legacyone that boasts theories about lava tubes and underwater tunnels that connect Tahoe to the nearby Pyramid Lake. Maybe thats why everythings shrouded in mystery there. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. You can always change this later in your Account settings. At the time of his disappearance, Windecker was a 44-year-old former city planner from Reno and a married father of two young children. Bryan Golmitz of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said Windecker's body was well preserved after 17 years -- "He looked 90 percent like a person, the physical form was there, he was very present.". The body of a scuba diver recovered from Lake . or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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. 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. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Byers said Lake Tahoe's 35-degree and increased pressure - Windecker 's body was found by a group of mixed gas divers on an underwater shelf approximately 265 feet below the surface - is responsible for the body's surprisingly physical condition. Hopefully we'll determine what happened," Byers said. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Search above to list available cemeteries. And authorities say they have used sonar and mini-subs to map the lake's bottom and never found such a graveyard. Dental records were used to identify Donald Christopher Windecker, from Reno,. Christopher Windecker is on Facebook. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Some say his grandson, Philippe Cousteau Jr., visited there, but only for a 2002 speaking engagement. Heres an example of an Ask the RGJ from 2011: Lake Tahoe has been a dumping ground for the bodies of Chinese railroad workers and victims of mob killings. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. 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. You can also continue the discussion on TIMEs Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME. Former Nevada state historian Guy Rocha wrote in 2006 in the Reno Gazette-Journal: "The truth is that Philippe Cousteau, Jacques' grandson, visited Lake Tahoe in April 2002, but there is no record of Jacques seeing the jewel of the Sierra, much less his being involved in an underwater expedition. The partner attempted to help him but was forced to the surface when he ran low on air. Rescue divers attempted to locate him at the time but were unable to do so. 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. Just beyond the ledge where Windeckers body was found, the lake plunges to a depth of 1,645 feet. 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. Do you hate foreplay? The scuba gear bore a certification from 1994, officials with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department said. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. In 2011, Donald Christopher Windecker's body was recovered and identified after dying in a diving accident 17 years ago. 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. Some Tahoe locals insist that bodies of boaters and swimmers who drowned in Lake Tahoe have turned up Pyramid Lake and vice versa. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. 17 years went by before a group of "mixed gas" divers, who can safely dive to about 350 feet, discovered Windecker's body. (via Los Angeles Times). Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Failed to delete memorial. This was not the case with Windecker, who was covered head to toe in a wet suit with gloves and boots. 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. 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. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544), Divers body found in Tahoe after 17 years, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). But McLaughlin has another reason for dismissing the rumor. 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. McLaughlin also finds this rumor preposterous. Nigerians await election results in competitive race, Odesa opera house remains heart of the city amid ongoing war, Ukrainians move home and promise: Its going to go back to normal, This is my only hope: Young Nigerians gear up for presidential election. They planned to dive to a depth of 100 feet, but something went wrong. Some Tahoe locals claim dozens of bodies can be found in the lakes deep waters. Four more divers remain missing in the same area, which is infamous for swallowing up victims. His mother's maiden name is Wilson. Try again. Give a fish a man, and he'll eat for weeks!". Record information. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? ", Email yourquestions for "Ask the RGJ" by emailing ybeasley@rgj.com, Something else that can break down dead bodies in Lake Tahoe is marine life, which brings to mind the not-tasteful quote from the book "Animal Crossing -- Wild World": "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. The scuba gear bore a certification from 1994, officials with the El Dorado County Sheriffs Department said. It has swallowed divers before, and some remain missing. Is this railroad link the inspiration for the Tahoe tale of murder? Donald Christopher Windecker's body was recovered and identified this month 17 years after the Reno city planner died in a Tahoe diving accident. Oops, something didn't work. Fires were set, and the Chinese were told to leave on their own or they would be shipped out in boxcars. Dental records confirmed it was Windecker. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. Its a little spooky., MORE: Giant Woman Sculpture Makes Waves in GermanLake. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Jim Byers. In cold water, the lower temperatures make them relatively inactive. Asked what hed seen and filmed on the lake bottom, Cousteau reportedly replied, The world isnt ready for whats down there.. Conventional scuba divers have to stop at about 100 feet.Byers said those in the diving group were startled to see Windecker's motionless form. 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. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. He may have had a heart attack or a stroke or maybe just ran out of air. Some in the region insist that famed diver and naturalist Jacques Cousteau explored the lake in a mini-submarine in the mid-1970s and emerged pale and shaken. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. There are tons of stories surrounding bodies in the lake, and I hate to say it, but there probably are a couple bodies at the bottom of the lake. The bacteria produce gases as waste: carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulfide. 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. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. 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. All rights reserved. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Donald Christopher Windecker I found on Findagrave.com. "All of our bodies have bacteria that live in them," she said. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Cremated, Ashes scattered. The World is a public radio program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Nobody knows the name or affiliation of the supposed longtime Tahoe fire chief.. Make sure that the file is a photo. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? His friend reported that Windecker was quickly submerging with his respirator out of his mouth, and that he couldnt save him because he was forced to surface when he ran out of air. "Windecker's body was discovered by a group of "mixed gas" divers exploring cliff walls, Byers said.Mixed gas divers can safely descend to about 350 feet without suffering nitrogen narcosis, or "rapture of the depths," among other problems. Donald Christopher Windecker. South lake tahoe local here! He notes that during Frank Sinatra's time at Tahoe in the early 1960s, he and his associates were scrutinized closely by the authorities, making killings and body disposal risky. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. At least, there was until people introduced kokanee salmon to the rivers, and then crawfish as a food source. This account has been disabled. Please reset your password. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Chinese immigrants in Truckee were targeted by the 601 vigilante group and the Caucasian League. It's called putrefaction. In 2011, the body of Donald Christopher Windecker was recovered from Lake Tahoe, found 350 feet underwater. Windecker's body was reportedly still donning a wetsuit and was buckled into his scuba gear and air tank. Lake Tahoe is on the California-Nevada border. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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