Found Deceased UT- Priscilla Bienkowski, 18, & Sophia Hernandez, 17, Knolls, Utah Lake, 6 May 2020

[mlhenn]

Search for girls missing on Utah Lake to continue through the night

[URL="https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/search-is-on-for-two-teenage-girls-missing-on-utah-lake"]Two teen girls from Saratoga Springs missing on Utah Lake[/URL]
https://www.ksl.com/article/4675038...ng-on-utah-lake-to-continue-through-the-night

•Priscilla Bienkowski, 18, and Sophia Hernandez, 17, went to the Knolls area of Utah Lake near state Route 68 about 3:30 p.m.
•About 8 p.m., a man who was fishing on the shoreline heard one of the girls’ phone ringing and answered it. It was the mother of one of the girls looking for her daughter.
•he had not seen the girls but all of their personal belongings were still on shore
•Officers were called by the mother; LE found the girls’ car still parked nearby and their items on the beach.

 

[mlhenn]

Two teen girls from Saratoga Springs missing on Utah Lake


•believed to be on the southwest side of the lake
•the two friends went out on the lake Wednesday afternoon, after purchasing float tubes at Walmart.
•Crews found the tubes Wednesday night.
•A cell phone and keys were found on the shore. •Their car was parked nearby.

 

[mlhenn]

Search and rescue crews continue search for two missing teens at Utah Lake

To Note:
•teens were tubing near the Knoll’s area of Utah Lake along SR-68 near mile marker 20.
• LE stated the tubes that the girls bought may have been from Walmart, which are not designed to be life preservers but more like “pool toys.”
•LE don’t have information that indicates the girls wore life jackets
•the girls were on the lake to go tubing Wed. when the weather went bad.
•The girl’s car, keys, clothes and cell phones were found near the Knolls area of the lake
•their tubes were found in the water in two different locations
•LE stated you can have six or eight foot waves, but because it’s so shallow, those waves are close together and it makes it nearly impossible to navigate when you’re on a tube or a kayak.
•The water temperature is about 57 degrees. With that kind of water temperature, it would be really, really difficult to maintain lucidity for very long.
•They suspended their first search around 3 a.m. because of the conditions. Shortly after rescue efforts started, crews say the strong wind gusts created 10 foot swells and 50 mile per hour winds.
•Searches resumed Thursday around 7:30am & into Friday.
•The state park’s has the ability to use the side-scan sonar but it is nearly impossible to use when the conditions are like they are during this time.
•As of right now this is still a rescue mission.

 

[mlhenn]

Search for missing teens continues at Utah Lake

Friday's weather conditions are more favorable for the search than they were Thursday. It isn't as windy and the waters are smoother.

 

[mlhenn]

Search Underway For 2 Teens Who Went Missing At Utah Lake

To note from this link:
•searchers found one of the teens’ inflatable pool toys in the reeds along the shoreline. The other pool toy was discovered further out on the lake.

•Rescuers are concerned the two following things may have played a factor in the teens’ disappearance: winds of up to 60 miles per hour & the water temperature in the 50s.

 

[mlhenn]

Derek Petersen on Twitter

3 HRS AGO
The search for the two missing girls has expanded from 3.5 miles to 8.5 miles. Searchers have headed out in boats using side scan sonar as they look for these two missing friends.

 

[Dre]

This is so incredibly sad!
I’m a little suspicious of a person approaching and answering a strangers’ cell phone... if I saw a clean pile of belongings on a shore line I wouldn’t approach out of respect but that’s just me... hoping their families can get some answers soon

 

[mlhenn]

This is so incredibly sad!
I’m a little suspicious of a person approaching and answering a strangers’ cell phone... if I saw a clean pile of belongings on a shore line I wouldn’t approach out of respect but that’s just me... hoping their families can get some answers soon

I thought that too. Possibly as he was fishing off the shoreline and walking with the current of water, he stumbled upon their belongings (possibly not realizing it until he heard the phone ring)? Merely throwing out an idea...
Regardless, I would probably look around for the owner of the phone etc as it was ringing to see if they were around to answer it. I definitely would not have answered the phone!
Maybe the mother repeatedly called the phone & the guy finally answered it because he never saw anybody in sight?? Again, just throwing out an idea...
But I totally agree with you about not approaching other’s belongings out of respect.

 

[Dre]

Yes, my partner and I (love the outdoors and camping) discussed it after my post and it really doesn't sit well with us, that's just plain over the top nosey, id be so annoyed if I approached my stuff and someone was on my phone lol. maybe in this case it was a really good thing to get the search started earlier... I think id feel differently if it was an elderly lady who answered, so maybe my bias is showing! also, if the waves were like the ones described above, how would fishing there even be an option at that time?

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

This is so incredibly sad!
I’m a little suspicious of a person approaching and answering a strangers’ cell phone... if I saw a clean pile of belongings on a shore line I wouldn’t approach out of respect but that’s just me... hoping their families can get some answers soon

“I’m a little suspicious of a person approaching and answering a strangers’ cell phone”
Also who leaves cell phones and keys on a shore?!!! Keys would be secured inside a pocket or hid somewhere on shore and cell phone and other personal items would be inside the car.

 

[WeAreWatching]

I am not suspicious of the fisherman that answered the phone. I am thankful. Maybe had intuition. Not everyone is evil. Also not surprised or shocked the keys, phone were left with there stuff on the beach. If they were getting in the water to tube/swim they would leave their keys and phone on the beach. They are teenagers. There isn't always an evil element in a disappearance. This one sounds like a tragic occurrence by two kids that shouldn't have gone in the water that day. I for one, thank the fisherman for answering the phone. If he hadn't who knows how much longer no one would have been concerned.

 

[mlhenn]

I am not suspicious of the fisherman that answered the phone. I am thankful. Maybe had intuition. Not everyone is evil. Also not surprised or shocked the keys, phone were left with there stuff on the beach. If they were getting in the water to tube/swim they would leave their keys and phone on the beach. They are teenagers. There isn't always an evil element in a disappearance. This one sounds like a tragic occurrence by two kids that shouldn't have gone in the water that day. I for one, thank the fisherman for answering the phone. If he hadn't who knows how much longer no one would have been concerned.

It’s very possible there’s nothing suspicious about the fisherman, that he is just heaven sent and happened to be around when the phone ring. Everyone is different & responds differently in situations. Either way it’s a blessing he answered the phone that prompted the mother to call police.
JMO

 

[mlhenn]

Search For Missing Saratoga Springs Teens Enters Day 3


The two teens went missing on the lake the same day high winds capsized a group of kayakers that had to be rescued.

Authorities said the girls were likely not wearing life jackets.

One of the inflatables was discovered 3.2 miles south from where the girls had entered the lake, and the other was discovered 8.5 miles south of that.

Their vehicle was also discovered parked near the lake.


LE asked boaters to stay clear of the search area Friday, partly due to being able to use side scan sonar and not wanting other boats interfering.

“All the evidence we have suggests they went into the lake. We have an eyewitness who saw them a short distance south from where we believe they entered. (And evidence) based on the personal items they left on or near the shore.”

 

[mlhenn]

Map of Utah Lake where teens were last seen.
Map shows area where phone, keys, belongings found; area where each inflatable was found; assumed drift path.


Search for two missing teens at Utah Lake continues

 

[Dsasleuth]

Prayers in Jesus's name.

 

[AmandaSkis]

They went tubing when lake temps were in the 50s?? Wow. I’m a swimmer but I wouldn’t get in water that cold even with a full swimsuit on.

 

[akazia1978]

They went tubing when lake temps were in the 50s?? Wow. I’m a swimmer but I wouldn’t get in water that cold even with a full swimsuit on.

Agree, I do long distance swims, 8 miles plus, and even for an experienced swimmer, that cold will get to you quickly. I was supposed to swim the length of Tahoe in August which is 21.3 miles (water temp 64 at that time, no wetsuit allowed) and one of my biggest concerns besides swimming in pitch black was the water temp.
This seems like a really unfortunate tragedy.

 

[mlhenn]

Family members try to stay optimistic on day 3 of search for missing teens at Utah Lake

Priscilla Bienkowski’s mother said she loves being in the water. Wednesday she was with her friend and co-worker, Sophia Hernandez.

The two just met a few months ago while working together at Walmart. Bienkowski, 18, is from Saratoga Springs and Hernandez, 17, is from Eagle Mountain.

Bienkowski’s mother, Nancy Sepulveda said she had asked to go to Utah Lake multiple times and finally went after she bought an inflatable tube. She set out on Wednesday with Hernandez.


Multiple agencies including Utah State Parks, Wasatch County, Washington County, and Utah Highway Patrol have assisted with search efforts from the air, water, and shore. But no substantial leads have led to the teenagers’ whereabouts.

“There was one area in particular where there were several things based on the side scan sonar hits that looked like they might be of interest but none of those panned out.”

 

[mlhenn]

Area of lake LE is searching

Spencer Cannon on Twitter

 

[mlhenn]

Spencer Cannon on Twitter

The search of the two teens continued several hours throughout the night. The search will resume at 8 am Sat morning.