MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A woman who was found dead by deputies inside an underground Merced County fuel tank has been identified by the sheriff’s office as 32-year-old Minchaca Torres of Delhi.
A second woman, who was found in the tank unconscious, remains in critical condition at a local hospital. She has not been identified, but authorities previously said she is also in her 30’s.
Deputies were called to Oak and Sycamore streets near Delhi around 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Investigators now say a calf on the property had fallen into the tank, and both women went in to try to save the animal.
Detectives believe the hazardous fumes and lack of oxygen overcame both women in the confined space.
The women were able to rescue the calf, but deputies say it unfortunately had to be euthanized at the scene due to its condition.
Merced County Animal Services seized two additional malnourished calves that were found on the property.
An autopsy is pending to determine Torres’s official cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing.
Listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
