Alta Sinkhole Victim Identified
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Alta, CA — Rescue crews have recovered the body of a man who was killed after falling into a large sinkhole that opened up under his home in rural Placer County.
The sheriff´s department says 32-year-old Jason Chellew was pulled from the home around six p-m Sunday. Officials say he plunged ten feet into the ground and was buried under a pile of rubble when the sinkhole opened.
Investigators suspect the two-story home may have been sitting atop a decades-old underground mine. Recent rains could have softened the ground under the home, which is located near Lake Alta.
Authorities say Chellew was a teacher and was expecting his first child with his new bride, Kathy, who was in bed when the floor gave way under her husband.
