DNA tests confirm identities of two bodies found in Fallen Leaf Lake

The identities of the two bodies found in Fallen Leaf Lake in the fall of 2017 have been released, confirming what law enforcement found at the time. They were identified as 71-year-old Cynthia Ellis and 74-year-old Michael Whalen after the California Department of Justice verified them through DNA samples.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Detectives said there is no evidence of foul play.

Ellis, who also went by the last name of Prehoda, was from South Lake Tahoe. She went missing in 2001 and was believed to have committed suicide by drowning in the lake just west of Lake Tahoe. A forensic autopsy and examination by a Forensic Anthropologist was unable to determine a cause of death.

Whalen was recovered on October 27, 2017. He went missing in 2004 after traveling to the Lake Tahoe area from Florida. Whalen arrived in the South Lake Tahoe in his van, carrying a brown, wood colored canoe. Whalen’s van was located near Fallen Leaf Lake in late 2004. The whereabouts of Whalen’s canoe are unknown. The small anchor and rope around Whalen’s legs are consistent with an anchor used for a canoe. A forensic autopsy and examination by a Forensic Anthropologist was unable to determine a cause of death.

The conclusions on cause of death are due to the condition of the remains.

Both families have been notified and are thankful for the closure brought by the the efforts of Bruce’s Legacy, the Fallen Leaf Fire Department, El Dorado County Search and Rescue and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information on Michael Whalen, the location of his canoe, or any canoe found at Fallen Leaf Lake around 2004 or 2005 is asked to call El Dorado County Sheriff’s Detective Rich Horn at (530) 642-4729 or Detective Damian Frisby at (530) 573-3022.