Second victim identified in deadly San Francisco Bay boat sinking

San Francisco's chief medical examiner identified Tondra Lynn Madruga, 58, also known as Tondra Miller, of Sacramento County, as the second victim recovered after the Volare capsized near Alcatraz Island. The identification came as the death toll in the boating disaster reached two, following the earlier identification of Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County. The sinking has drawn wide attention because the vessel was carrying mostly family members on a memorial service in one of the Bay Area's busiest waterways.

San Francisco police said the body was found floating west of Treasure Island after officers conducting sonar scanning were alerted by a passing vessel. Later updates placed the recovery about 1½ miles south of the alpha buoy, a marker in the waters off San Francisco that sits close to the route where the incident unfolded. The location of the body recovery underscored how far the emergency response stretched across the bay after the vessel went down.

The Volare, described in coverage as a 50-foot cabin cruiser based out of Stockton, was carrying about 20 people when it capsized in rough water near Alcatraz on Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said 16 people were rescued from the water, while three initially remained missing. The U.S. Coast Guard later suspended its active search and shifted to recovery efforts as the response moved from rescue to locating the missing.

The case has put a sharp spotlight on safety in crowded tourist waters around Alcatraz Island, where passenger traffic, strong currents and changing conditions can quickly turn a private outing into a mass rescue operation. Multiple agencies were involved in the response, and the mix of family passengers, a memorial gathering and a large vessel made the sinking especially devastating for Sacramento County, Sutter County and the broader Bay Area community. The recovery of Madruga's body closed one chapter of the search, but the circumstances surrounding the Volare's capsizing remain central to questions about vessel operation and emergency readiness on San Francisco Bay.