By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
Ground, air and underwater searches failed locate a 49-year-old Winters man who was reported last seen Monday afternoon on the bank of Putah Creek.
Family members reported Jose De Jesus Lopez as a missing person about 10 a.m. Wednesday, said Lt. Sergio Gutierrez of the Winters Police Department.
Gutierrez said friends reported that they had been drinking beer with Lopez between about 1 and 4 p.m. Monday, and when they left he was still sitting by the creek. When he did not return to the residence that he shares with roommates, his friends went back to the creek to look for him on Tuesday and contacted family members.
During a search of the area, Gutierrez said a ball cap belonging to Lopez was found hanging on a tree. Friends told police that the location was further down the embankment than where they had last seen him, raising concerns that he might have fallen in the water.
Gutierrez said the California Highway Patrol flew over the area but reported no sign of the man. Police then called for assistance from the Yolo County Sheriff's Department, which requested the services of a state Drowning Accident Rescue Team. Divers did a sweep of the area, but found no sign of Lopez.
Gutierrez said flows in the creek fluctuate and the water is murky because of storm runoff. He said the search has been called off for the night, but police will continue to monitor the area along the creek.
Anyone who may have seen Lopez since Monday afternoon is asked to call the Winters Police Department at (530) 795-4561.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
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