Body of Turlock Man Swept Over Vernal Fall Recovered and Identified, Awaiting Identification of Second Body Recently Found in Yosemite

On July 19, 2011, Ninos Yacoub, 27 of Turlock, Hormiz David, 22 of Modesto, and Ramina Badal, 21 of Manteca, were witnessed being swept over Vernal Fall, the 317 foot waterfall in Yosemite National Park.

A body was found in the Merced River, approximately 100 yards below the Vernal Fall footbridge, by a Yosemite National Park Ranger at approximately 11:00am on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. The footbridge is located approximately a half mile below the base of Vernal Fall.

Yosemite National Park has now positively identified the body as Ninos Yacoub.

Yosemite National Park Rangers recovered another body in the same general area as Yacoub’s this past Saturday, December 3rd.

Positive identification has not been made, and is expected within the next several days. The park will issue a news release when the body is positively identified as they did with Yacoub. Ramina Badal is the only missing person out of the three who went missing who has yet to be found.

The body of Hormiz David was found on August 5, 2011, by Yosemite National Park Rangers and Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel approximately 240 feet below the waterfall.

Since the incident, water levels and water flow made it difficult to search in the area where the three plunged over the waterfall after crossing over a guard rail. Just recently the search was going to be stopped due to expected snow and rainfall.

Yosemite Search for Victims of Waterfall Accident Scaled Back

Yosemite Visitors from Turlock Area Swept Over Waterfall, Presumed Dead