Body in Lake Identified as Fullerton Woman

A body that surfaced in Shasta Lake last week has been identified as that of a Fullerton woman who was killed in a Memorial Day weekend boating incident, a Shasta County sheriff’s official said Tuesday.

The body of Lauri Chiaretta, 22, an Oregon State University student, was recovered Thursday and identified this week, said Sgt. Ron Richardson with the sheriff’s boating safety office. Her boyfriend, Thomas Morrish, 22, of Calgary, Canada, also was killed during the May 25 incident, and his body was recovered that day.

Richardson said Chiaretta was at Shasta Lake with a group of college friends, who had rented a houseboat.

Five members of Chiaretta’s group gave four beers to a boat operator to be towed behind his powerboat on an inflatable water sled, Richardson said. Chiaretta and Morrish were the last to get off the water toy, and after they entered the lake the boat circled around, running over the two, Richardson said.

After the boat hit them, Chiaretta was seen taking off her life jacket and thrusting it toward her boyfriend. “Then she sank,” Richardson said. The boat left the scene, he said.

A search that day failed to locate her body, he said.

The boat operator, Gary Jones, 32, and his passenger, Mark Thomas, 30, both of Orangevale, later surrendered to police, Richardson said. Both were charged with felony conspiracy to obstruct justice, for leaving the scene, and Jones also was charged with manslaughter, Richardson said. Both are free on bail and have pleaded not guilty, he said.