Authorities have released the identities of the eight people who died when a boat capsized during an intense storm on Lake Tahoe on Saturday.
The victims are:
- Paula Bozinovich, 71, of Redwood City, California
- Terry Pickles, 73, of Redwood City, California
- Joshua Antony Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, California
- Peter Bayes, 72, of Lincoln, California
- Timothy O’Leary, 71, of Auburn, California
- Theresa Giullari, 66, of Honeoye, New York
- James Guck, 69, of Honeoye, New York
- Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, New York
“The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest heartfelt condolences to the families of those who were lost and all those who have been affected by this tragic event,” officials said in a statement posted to social media Tuesday.
Ten people were aboard the 27-foot Chris-Craft vessel when it overturned Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the southwest edge of Lake Tahoe. A sudden and powerful storm whipped up high waves, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
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Six people were killed, two people were hospitalized and two others remain missing after a boat capsized in Lake Tahoe on June 21, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard) -
Visitors along the lake at D.L. Bliss State Park after a weekend incident in which a boat capsized, killing several people, on Monday, June 23, 2025, in Lake Tahoe, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters. They had predicted some rain, but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled more than 8 feet (2.5 meters).
Two people were rescued immediately. Six bodies were recovered later Saturday, and a seventh body was found Sunday evening, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. Divers found the last victim Monday afternoon.
The South Lake Tahoe Police Department told KCRA-TV in 2022 that there are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021.
