Overview
- Deputies confirmed Saturday that the ninth victim was found and all nine bodies were returned to families, ending the recovery effort.
- The 15-person party comprised four guides and 11 clients, of whom six survived after calling for help late Tuesday morning.
- Families named six close friends who died—Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Kate Vitt, and sisters Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar—and the guides were identified as Andrew Alissandratos, Nicole Choo, and Michael Henry.
- White-out conditions and high slide risk slowed access for days as crews used California Highway Patrol and National Guard helicopters and deliberate snow-release work with PG&E to make the slope safe.
- Investigators are reviewing whether decisions on the guided tour could constitute criminal negligence, and the Tahoe National Forest has closed the Castle Peak area to visitors until mid-March.