LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (KERO) — Friends of Christina Murphy called in a private dive team known for solving cold cases to help them learn more about a submerged vehicle they believe is Murphy's.
- Friends of Christina Murphy told 23ABC that she hasn't been seen since July 22.
- Kern County's Sheriff's Office released a statement saying they are aware of the submerged vehicle but have not recovered it due to safety concerns.
- On September 10, there was roughly 850 cubic feet-per-second of water flowing through the portion of the Kern River that the vehicle is located in.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This is the part of the Kern River several friends of Christina Murphy believe her car is located in.
“I was in shock honestly, I was like, ‘No, no way,’ I was in denial. When I did get here I was in denial, I was just devastated,” said Cherish Mckinney, a friend of Christina Murphy.
Mckinney, is recalling the day that Murphy’s friends located parts of her car, near the Kern River off of the178, just south of Elizabeth Norris road. This was shortly after Murphy disappeared on July 22.
Mckinney knew her because they both worked at the hospital as nurses.
“Christina was hilarious,” Mckinney remembered, “She was the best nurse, the most compassionate nurse.”
“She had gone missing, we went looking for her for the day,” said Stephanie Young Esparza, another friend of Murphy.
Esparza was part of the group of friends that went looking for Murphy shortly after her disappearance around July 22nd. Esparza said Kern County’s Sheriff's was also present during the search.
“The Sheriffs were very aware,” Esparza said.
However, once the location of the vehicle was determined Esparza said the Kern County Sheriff's office said it would be unsafe to attempt to remove it.
“We all have so many questions, is she in the car or is she not in the car? We just want answers,” Mckinney said.
That’s what led friends of Murphy to contact Adventures With a Purpose, a private entity that locates vehicles in bodies of water.
“We travel the U.S working missing persons cold cases,” said Jared Leisek, Founder of Adventures with a purpose.
Jared Leisek says they focus on people missing with their vehicles.
“We are an underwater search and recovery dive team so we start topside with sonar, with boats is how we normally start the search, and once we identify that there might be a target underwater, then we’ll dive down and see if it’s the target we are looking for.”
Leiseck dived into the Kern river and inspected the car.
“At this time the windows are all broken out, I don't have confirmation whether or not Christina is inside,” Leisek said.
Leiseck said after he dived and inspected the vehicle, he let local law enforcement takeover.
The moment that we identify the vehicle that we are interested in, it becomes an all-stop and we treat it as a crime scene.”
After speaking with Kern County Sheriffs, Leiseck was told not to removed the car with his own gear, and it would be taken over by KCSO, which had multiple vehicles on the scene.
Friends of Murphy watched the footage Leiseck captured.
“My heart was broken, there was algae on the car, there was fish swimming in the car. I'm a nurse, I’m realistic, and in my head I can imagine what the possibilities are and that’s just not fair, it's not fair that she’s still in the water,” Mckinney said.
Friends were waiting around the site with the belief that KCSO Search and Rescue was going to remove the car on Tuesday.
However, without providing an update to those waiting, law enforcement left around 3 pm - – surprising those who were waiting near the scene.
“Everybody's gone - except for your vehicle, that’s the only one that’s up there. They left, so they’re not doing it,” said one of the friends waiting at the scene of the submerged vehicle.
“There’s your answer, they're not doing anything and they didn’t even inform us,” Mckinney said after hearing this information.
Around 5 pm Kern County Sheriff's office provided an update:
“On July 23, 2024, Kern County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) Teams responded to the Kern River near Hwy 178 for a possible submerged vehicle. SAR deployed a drone,cameras, and vessels to determine if there were any occupants in the vehicle.
Due to clarity of water, unsafe water conditions, and high-water levels SAR was unable to complete the recovery or determine if any occupants were in the vehicle.
SAR has been out to the location weekly to check the depth and flow of water, but CFS (cubic feet per second) has been too high. Due to the dangerous conditions, the divers were not able to conduct a recovery mission.
SAR has been in regular contact with the water master from the Army Corps to monitor water levels until it is acceptable for a dive team to go in safely.
Today, September 10, 2024, SAR divers evaluated the vehicle and determined it is still too dangerous of a mission for our divers.
As soon as conditions improve, and divers can safely enter the water, SAR will make efforts to recover the vehicle.”
Now friends are left in limbo - waiting for news about the friend they love.
“She was a beautiful person, she was a driven person, she just loved all her people,” Esparza said.
“Thank you for serving your community, for loving your friends and your kids and being the person you are, she was an inspiration,” said Mckinney.
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