Rescue personnel recover a body from the American River on Feb. 10. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

The man who drowned in the American River on Friday has been identified as Digger Gooch, 37, of Silver Fork.

He was on his way to work in Pollock Pines when it’s believed he lost control of his vehicle on the icy, slushy Highway 50.

A passerby saw his body tangled in brush near the river the afternoon of Feb. 10. This was by the Randall Tract Bridge near Whitehall. Investigators found evidence of the vehicle leaving the road about three-quarters of a mile from where the body was located.

“CHP flew a helicopter up the canyon yesterday and was still unable to locate the vehicle,” El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Matt Underhill told Lake Tahoe News.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report