Scattering of Santa Cruz County woman’s ashes ends in San Francisco Bay tragedy
SAN FRANCISCO —
KSBW 8 is learning of a local connection to the tragedy in the San Francisco Bay after a boat sank with 20 people on board Tuesday. Family members had gathered on the boat to scatter the ashes of a Santa Cruz County woman who died more than 10 years ago.
The ashes being scattered were those of Maria Vi Boisa, who was reported missing from Santa Cruz County in May 2015. The 32-year-old’s car and partial remains were eventually found two months later near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
“After some time, DNA testing identified that individual as Maria Boisa,” said Andres Rosas, spokesperson for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. “Miss Boisa had previously been reported as a missing person out of Santa Cruz County, and so the identification process was handled here in Monterey County by the coroner’s office.”
The cause of death remains undetermined, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported that she died after taking her own life.
“She was a big surfer, loved the water, loved the bay, and that’s why they put her ashes out there,” Ralph Boisa, who adopted Maria and eight other children, told the Chronicle.
Three generations of the Boisa family were on the boat to remember Maria.
Ralph Boisa said he and his wife, who live in Washington state near the Canadian border, stayed home, but their daughter, Yvonne Thatcher, traveled from Auburn with her family to honor her sister, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“When you get a phone call from someone inquiring about a recovery made in Monterey County, and you learn of such a tragic incident, something that’s made international headlines up in San Francisco Bay with this boat going underwater and people perishing in that, it catches you a little bit off guard when you find out that there’s a connection here to Monterey County,” Rosas said.
From the middle deck, where Thatcher was seated with her aunts and uncles, the boat capsized without warning, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“They didn’t see or hear anything,” Ralph Boisa said, describing his daughter’s account, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “They’re sitting, and all of a sudden, the boat went over.”
So far, the body of one of the three people missing after the boat capsized has been recovered.
The woman was identified as 58-year-old Tondra Madruga, also known as Tondra Miller, according to the San Francisco medical examiner. Authorities said her body was recovered Thursday, two days after the 49-foot cabin cruiser Volare sank with 20 people aboard while the group was scattering a loved one’s ashes.
One man, 79-year-old Clifford Boisa, died after being pulled from the water, while two people remain missing.
The Coast Guard has suspended rescue efforts, but police continue searching. Authorities said the boat is believed to be submerged in about 120 feet of water.
The victims confirmed dead are 79-year-old Clifford Boisa, Maria’s uncle, and a family friend, Tondra Miller. Still missing are Jackie Boisa and Carol Boisa, two of Maria’s aunts.