The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office mounted a multi-agency search for the remains of Danielle Bertolini’s body on the banks of the Eel River near Ferndale over the weekend.

Danielle Bertolini

The missing woman’s skull was discovered along the river bank in March. However, the rest of her body has yet to be found.

Lieutenant Wayne Hanson of the Sheriff’s Office tells the Outpost that a 19-person search team combed a two-mile stretch of river where the skull was located.

Sheriff’s deputies, Rio Dell firefighters, search and rescue volunteers, the Humboldt County Health Department and six cadaver dogs all assisted in the search.

The team spent more than 11 hours searching on Saturday and more than four hours on Sunday. However, no human remains were found.

“We didn’t find anything,” Hanson said. “It’s a vast area to search. That’s why we took the resources we did.”

Cadaver dogs were handled on foot and by boat, but never detected human remains. The canines were flown in from out of county by the Civil Air Patrol at no cost to the sheriff’s office.

Bertolini’s death and the disappearance of Sheila Franks, who also went missing from Fortuna in February of 2014, is still being investigated. No suspects have been charged for their disappearances.

Hanson said the search effort on the Eel River Bar is mostly resolved, but the sheriff’s office will continue to pursue any new leads.

“We will continue to look in any area where there is information,” Hanson said. “It’s hard to find someone without reliable information, but we do the best we can.”

PREVIOUSLY