‘No real cooperation’: Whisper Owen’s brother slams search efforts after SUV found in canal

OAKDALE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Family members of Whisper Owen say law enforcement never took concerns about the missing mother’s welfare seriously. The family’s criticism comes after the search for Whisper and her child, 8-month-old Sandra, came to an end on Sunday after diving group “Adventures with Purpose” announced they had found Whisper Owen’s SUV.

Whisper Owen vanished while traveling and was first reported missing almost a month ago. She had been reported missing in Fresno, but her SUV was recovered in San Joaquin County.

Her family believes law enforcement did not take their concerns seriously from the very beginning.

“Honestly, I don’t know how to feel,” said her brother, Richard Owen. Her believes it should not have taken this long to find his sister and her baby.

“I asked for cooperation from law enforcement a month ago.”

Whisper first went missing on the evening of July 15, while traveling from Fresno to Sacramento, where she lived.

“I was told that, you know, she was a delayed motorist. Still to this day, CHP has a delayed motorist. There was no real cooperation,” Owen said.

On Aug. 17, Whisper’s 2006 Chevy Trailblazer was discovered submerged in a canal near Road 120 and Victory Road, just outside Oakdale in San Joaquin County. Inside the vehicle, divers say they found the bodies of an adult and a small child. Official identification has not yet been confirmed.

“I asked for them to step in, I asked for them to use all resources to help find my sister and her 8-month-old baby, and I was told she wasn’t considered missing.”

Owen says the family was devastated to hear what they felt were dismissive responses early in the investigation.

“I hope law enforcement never again tells somebody, ‘Well, maybe they just don’t want to be found,’ or ‘Maybe they decided to take a break from you guys.’”

According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Whisper Owen case spanned four counties — Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin — complicating jurisdiction.

“It gets a little complicated in a sense,” said Heather Brent with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.

“Because we presume the person who is missing out of Fresno lives in Sacramento, and because of our location, we’re in San Joaquin County.”

Richard Owen said that it wasn’t law enforcement who brought the most helpful leads — it was citizens and volunteers.

“Most of the footage, other than what was acquired by traffic cams in Oakdale long after it should have been, came from business owners,” he said.

One crucial piece of video — showing Whisper’s car in Waterford — came from a surveillance camera at Waterford Farm Supply.

“Law enforcement finally decided to start searching and within five minutes after getting a subpoena, they had this as her location.”

While the family acknowledges that the outcome may not have changed, they believe a more urgent response would have eased their suffering much sooner.

“I hope when the next family tells them something is wrong, that they take it seriously — that they do their job.”

Since the bodies were recovered in San Joaquin County, the Medical Examiner’s Office there will be responsible for confirming and releasing the identities once positive identification has been made.

YourCentralValley.com has reached out to both the CHP and the Fresno Police Department and did not receive a response.