Fresno Sheriff's Office Dive Team Searches Canal

Members of the Fresno County Crime Scene Unit have identified Robert Simonian, 74, of Fresno as the man found deceased in a canal on Tuesday.

At 12:50 pm, deputies who are part of the FSO Dive Team, recovered Simonian’s body in the waterway along Barstow Ave., midway between Floyd and Bishop Aves.  Simonian is now at the Coroner’s Office, where an autopsy is scheduled to be performed on Wednesday.

On Monday, July 4th at 9:00 am, Simonian left his home on the 10200 block of Barstow Ave. in Fresno to go for a walk.  Simonian was carrying a backpack filled with weights as part of his hiking training exercise.  He told family members he was going to walk along the canal bank toward Biola and then return home.  Simonian never came home and relatives were unable to reach him on his cell phone, so they made a report to the Sheriff’s Office at 12:45 pm that he was missing.  Deputies with the FSO Search and Rescue (SAR) team responded and began looking around the area for Simonian.  SAR was assisted by patrol deputies, our EAGLE One helicopter and search dogs.  Late at night, SAR members found shoe tracks near an area of the canal and identified it as a spot where Simonian might have entered the waterway.

Tuesday afternoon, the FSO Dive Team entered the water and deputies located Simonian’s body at the bottom of the canal.  This is an ongoing investigation.  

 


Contact Information

Tony Botti
Public Information Officer
(559) 600-8137
Tony.Botti@fresnosheriff.org