The eight victims in Saturday's boat-capsize tragedy on Lake Tahoe were publicly identified for the first time Tuesday, and among them was a 37-year-old DoorDash executive.
Ten people went out on a Chris-Craft Launch 27 high-performance vesssel Saturday afternoon on Lake Tahoe, and they were near Rooster Rock — a popular spot to jump in the lake on warmer days, on the western shore near Emerald Bay — when a terrifying weather event that's been described as "an act of god" hit the lake, causing ten-foot swells and wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour.
The boat capsized, and eight people ended up dead, with two hospitalized with hypothermia and other injuries. The seventh and eighth victims, initially declared missing, were recovered on Sunday and Monday.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office identified the eight victims Tuesday morning, and they include Joshua Antony Pickles, 37, a San Francisco resident and a senior director of procurement at DoorDash. Two other victims, 73-year-old Terry Pickles and 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich of Redwood City, have been identified as Joshua's parents. And another victim, 72-year-old Peter Bayes of Lincoln, was his uncle.
The other four victims were Timothy O’Leary, 71, of Auburn, CA; Theresa Giullari, 66, of Honeoye, NY; James Guck, 69, of Honeoye, NY; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, NY.
"The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest heartfelt condolences to the families of those who were lost and all those who have been affected by this tragic event," the sheriff's office wrote.
Joshua Pickles's widow, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, has spoken out through local publicist Sam Singer, and had reportedly stayed ashore the day of the outing to care for the couple's seven-year-old daughter, per the Chronicle. This was reporteldy only the third time they had taken out the boat, which they purchased last summer.
"We lost my loving husband Josh Pickles, his parents Terry Pickles and Paula Bozinovich, and Uncle Peter Bayes, as well as friends in this tragedy," Sugar-Carlsgaard said. "No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake. Our hearts go out to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and deadly storm on Lake Tahoe."
The outing was reportedly part of a celebration of Bozinovich's 71st birthday, and the victims were all family and friends.
Previously: Coast Guard Suspends Search After 6 Killed in Lake Tahoe Boat Capsizing, 2 Still Missing
Photo via US Coast Guard Pacific Southwest