SLO County sheriff identifies man who drowned at Lopez Lake. Here’s what to know

The body of a 25-year-old Santa Maria man was recovered from Lopez Lake on Monday after he went missing while swimming the day before.

Sergio MendiolaGarcia was not wearing a life preserver when he became distressed in the water Sunday afternoon, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

FULL STORY: Update: Body of missing 25-year-old recovered from SLO County lake during search

Here are key takeaways:

• Reporting parties at the scene said MendiolaGarcia was swimming “when he became distressed and appeared to be drowning before going underwater,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Family members tried to find him but could not.

• The Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting “a possible drowning” Sunday evening. The initial search included boats, jet skis, drones, paddle boards and rescue swimmers from the SLO County Fire Department.

• That first search stretched into Sunday evening without success. The Sheriff’s Office took over from the Fire Department late Sunday and sent dive and drone teams back to the lake early Monday morning.

• Divers from the Sheriff’s Office dive team located MendiolaGarcia’s body underwater at around 11:52 a.m. Monday. A Tribune reporter at the scene witnessed a stretcher carried from a boat at the Lopez Lake marina area around 12:40 p.m.

• The Sheriff’s Office confirmed his identity Monday afternoon and said next of kin had been notified.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 3:45 PM.