Body of man missing in Lake Tahoe recovered

The body of the 33-year-old man who went missing in Lake Tahoe on September 8, 2018 was located by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) and then recovered on Monday, September 17.

Chaitanya Datla of Cameron Park had been on a boat well off the shore of Nevada Beach when he jumped in. He hadn't been seen since then, even after a two-day search by multiple agencies.

Datla was found in 1,062 feet of water. The ROV was able to bring his body up to the surface.

Lisa Maloff had recently donated the ROV to Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) to help recover victims in the extreme depths of Lake Tahoe and they offered their assistance to El Dorado County to search for Datla. DSCO deputies recently completed ROV and SONAR training with Bruce's Legacy, a non-profit search and recovery group out of Wisconsin that was instrumental in other recoveries around the region and nation.

South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Marine 17 responded to assist Douglas County Sheriff Marine 7 with recovery. The South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Marine Unit was also donated by Maloff as was the fire-fighting boat of Tahoe Douglas Fire.

A witness said the body was transported from the lake through the Lakeside Marina. "The staff at Lakeside were very professional in that once the vehicle being used to transfer the body had been backed down the ramp, they closed the gate to the marina and kept everyone out who wasn’t already inside," said Andy Engelhardt, president of the Lakeside Park Association,

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said they are "extremely thankful to our partners around Lake Tahoe." This search and recovery would not have been successful without the private donations Ms. Maloff, training by Bruce's Legacy, and the assistance from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, South Lake Tahoe Police Department, South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Marine Unit, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Marine Unit, El Dorado County SAR, Washoe County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, and the United States Coast Guard.

Next of Kin notifications have been made.