A California Highway Patrol air operations officer and a Nevada County Sheriff's deputy prepare for an aerial recovery mission near the South Yuba River on July 8. The team was deployed to retrieve human remains found during the ongoing search for a missing woman. Photo courtesy of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office

NEVADA CITY, CA (MPG) - On the morning of July 8, a Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (NCSSAR) volunteer conducting aerial drone searches for a missing woman discovered human remains along a rocky shore adjacent to the water’s edge of the Yuba River at approximately 10:58 a.m.

The remains were located in a highly remote area, approximately 1.5 miles downstream from Jones Bar in Nevada City—an area difficult to reach by foot. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) requested mutual aid from several agencies including CHP – Air Operations (H20 helicopter), the Nevada County Consolidated Fire District (NCCFD) Helicopter Rescue Technician (HRT) team, and State Parks.

Later that afternoon, a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office deputy and an Nevada County Consolidated Fire District Helicopter Rescue Technician team member skilled in aerial rescues were flown to the site and safely inserted one at a time. The team retrieved the remains and were extracted by the CHP H20 helicopter at approximately 1:45 p.m.

Due to the condition of the remains, officials say it will take several weeks to make a positive identification.

The search effort focused on 50-year-old Rebecca Heinowitz of Barrytown, New York, who was last seen on May 24, struggling in the Yuba River upstream from the South Yuba Bridge. Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Sheriff’s Office volunteers conducted extensive efforts over the past several weeks using drones, K9 cadaver teams, off-highway vehicles, and ground search units.

The Sheriff’s Office extended thanks to CHP, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District Helicopter Rescue Technician, and State Parks for their support in the recovery and early search operations.