Body found in SJ County slough is missing Jacob VanZant: medical examiner

Aaron Leathley, The Record
Updated ·1 min read
A roadside memorial lays near where the white Honda Pilot of Jacob VanZant. 24, of Lodi, who had been missing since Feb. 17, was found was found by divers under water about 150 feet from the shore of Little Potato Slough at the west end of Eight Mile Road in Stockton.
A roadside memorial lays near where the white Honda Pilot of Jacob VanZant. 24, of Lodi, who had been missing since Feb. 17, was found was found by divers under water about 150 feet from the shore of Little Potato Slough at the west end of Eight Mile Road in Stockton.

Seven miles west of Stockton, Eight Mile Road dead-ends into Little Potato Slough, one of numerous twisting waterways running off the San Joaquin River.

A body found in the slough Saturday is that of Jacob VanZant, a 24-year-old who went missing in February after leaving a Lodi restaurant, Christy Patterson, a spokesperson for the county medical examiner, confirmed Tuesday.

A dive team found VanZant's body in his car, Lodi police Sgt. Matt Latino said. The white Honda Pilot SUV was submerged in about 18 feet of water between 100 and 150 feet offshore, he said.

"At this point, we can confirm that it did appear to be some sort of accident," the sergeant said. "Whether or not it was intentional, or whether or not intoxicants were involved, are currently up in the air."

VanZant's body was recovered by members of the diving group and media company Adventures with Purpose, which documents their searches of waterways across the country on YouTube.

The white Honda Pilot of Jacob VanZant. 24, of Lodi, who had been missing since Feb. 17, was found was found by divers under water about 150 feet from the shore of Little Potato Slough at the west end of Eight Mile Road in Stockton.
The white Honda Pilot of Jacob VanZant. 24, of Lodi, who had been missing since Feb. 17, was found was found by divers under water about 150 feet from the shore of Little Potato Slough at the west end of Eight Mile Road in Stockton.

VanZant went missing on Feb. 17 after leaving a restaurant in Lodi around dinnertime, the company's founder, Jared Leisek said in an April 15 video.

The 24-year-old may have intended to bring takeout to his girlfriend, who lives in Stockton, he said.

But divers found VanZant's Honda in a rural area far from Interstate 5, Highway 99, or other typical driving routes between Lodi and Stockton.

"At one point in our investigation, the family relayed that Mr. VanZant frequented the Delta region," Latino said. Otherwise, police "have no idea" why VanZant may have been in the area, he said.

The Lodi Police Department investigation is ongoing.

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers public safety. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Body found by divers in waterway near Lodi is Jacob VanZant: county