Man found safe after Montecito mudslides; 3 still missing
A 53-year-old man reported missing after mudslides and flash flooding devastated the Montecito area has been found in Ventura, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The man, John “Jack” Keating, is a transient and was in Carpinteria, not Montecito, during the storm, authorities said. He was found safely, along with his dog, Tiny, the Sheriff’s Office said.
John Jack Keating who is a transient and was on our missing person list was located safe in Ventura and sent us a selfie with his dog Tiny. #sbsheriff pic.twitter.com/o4ax072XoW
— SB Sheriff's Office (@sbsheriff) January 15, 2018
So far, detectives from the Sheriff’s Office have followed up on more than 100 reports of missing persons that have come in since the storm, according to a release, and continue to follow up on all reports.
With the location of Keating, detectives are now investigating three active missing persons cases.
The people still missing are:
▪ John “Jack” Cantin, 17 years old
▪ Faviola Benitez Calderon, 28 years old
▪ Lydia Suttithepa, 2 years old
The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information about these cases, or anyone needing to report a missing person, to call 1-833-688-5551.
This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Man found safe after Montecito mudslides; 3 still missing."