UPDATE (July 18)
A man reported missing after being swept into a wash during storm activity has been found dead in the Santa Cruz River, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
Search and Rescue deputies, with help from Arizona Department of Public Safety air assets, located the body shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday near the Interstate 10 and Interstate 19 interchange. He was identified as 29-year-old Ernesto Ojeda.
Deputies were first called Friday around 3:30 p.m. to reports of a man swept down the Julian Wash near South Julian Drive and South Palo Verde Road. Crews searched the wash and river for several hours with help from Tucson Fire and Tucson Police before suspending the effort when he wasn't found.
A second search began later that night after Ojeda's family reported him missing, worried because he had been near the wash earlier and rising water levels posed a danger. Ojeda had developmental disabilities and functioned at approximately a 10-year-old cognitive level, according to the sheriff's department.
Search efforts resumed Saturday morning once water levels in the Santa Cruz River receded.
Investigators say there are no signs of suspicious circumstances at this time. The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.
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UPDATE (9:00 p.m.)
Deputies are now asking for help finding a missing vulnerable adult, 29-year-old Ernesto Ojeda, who they say may be connected to the river search. Ojeda was last seen near Palo Verde Road and Bantam Road at 10 a.m. Friday, according to the Sheriff's Department.
He was wearing a dark maroon Desert View football shirt and dark blue shorts, and was not wearing shoes. Deputies say Ojeda functions at a 10-year-old level and may become distressed if approached. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
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UPDATE (7:00 p.m.)
The Pima County Sheriff's Department says after several hours of searching by air and ground at various locations along the Santa Cruz River, with assistance from Tucson Fire, deputies were unable to locate the man. The department is urging the public to remain vigilant during this monsoon event, stay away from running water, and never attempt to enter or cross flooded areas.
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Tucson Fire Department crews and Pima County Sheriff's Department deputies searched for a man swept away in the Santa Cruz River Friday afternoon.
Tucson Fire was dispatched to a swift water rescue at 3:40 p.m. after reports that a man had been swept away in the northbound Santa Cruz River, according to the department.
The Sheriff's Department requested Tucson Fire's assistance after the man was reportedly last seen near the Julian Wash at Irvington Road and Palo Verde Road, Tucson Fire said.
According to the Sheriff's Department, search and rescue deputies responded to a river rescue call first reported near South Julian Drive and South Palo Verde Road. The man was described as wearing all black and was last seen in the Julian Wash just east of the Pima County Adult Detention Complex, deputies said.
Tucson Fire crews and deputies positioned themselves at multiple locations along the river to search for the man and deployed a drone to assist, the department said. Crews searched the area from the Julian Wash west to the Santa Cruz River and north to 22nd Street but did not find the man, according to Tucson Fire.
Tucson Fire is warning the public that fast-moving water can be extremely dangerous and urging people to stay out of washes and flooded roadways during storm conditions.
This is a developing story. KGUN9 will update this article as more information becomes available.
