A pair of teenagers missing on Utah Lake have now been missing for over 24 hours — though the search was planned to continue through Thursday night.
Family members reported 17-year-old Sophie Hernandez of Eagle Mountain and 18-year-old Priscilla Bienkowski of Saratoga Springs missing Wednesday evening. According to police, the teens had gone to the Knolls area on the west side of Utah Lake late that afternoon.
One of two tubes they are believed to have been floating on was found along the shoreline, and a second tube was found 2 to 3 miles away on the lake itself. Other items, like a cellphone and car keys, were also found on the shoreline, according to FOX 13.
According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, heavy winds made the water very rough on Utah Lake on Wednesday. The water temperature was 57 degrees on Thursday morning, “and it would be very difficult to last very long ... in water temperature like that.”
“Experienced teams described [the conditions] as the worst they’ve ever seen,” according to FOX 13.
The search was suspended about 3 a.m. on Wednesday, and resumed at 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning before continuing throughout the day.
Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.