The probe comes as families of victims say they have “many unanswered questions”
Christina Coulter has been a staff writer covering crime at PEOPLE since 2025. Her work has previously appeared in Fox News Digital, NBC Universal’s Oxygen Media, The Daily Mail and more.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/8-Skiers-found-dead-1-missing-021826-910dee4758b843428048d53967a14493.jpg)
NEED TO KNOW
The avalanche near Lake Tahoe on Feb. 17 killed at least eight skiers, making it the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 1981
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating whether criminal negligence played a role after avalanche watches and warnings were issued before the slide
Six people survived the backcountry disaster, including one guide and five clients, and two were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries
The avalanche that killed at least eight skiers near Lake Tahoe is now under investigation for possible criminal negligence, as it becomes the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981.
In a statement, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said it has launched a parallel investigation into whether criminal negligence was involved in the Tuesday, Feb. 17 avalanche near Castle Peak, CBS News reported.
The probe is separate from the coroner’s death investigations, and officials cautioned it is too early to determine whether any charges will be filed.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(742x422:744x424):format(webp)/castle-peak-avalanche-search-rescue-021926-3439c71393334c5bab981df5f795a805.jpg)
Nevada County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
The avalanche struck around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, as a group of 11 clients and four guides was concluding a three-day backcountry ski trip, PEOPLE previously reported.
The group was traveling during a powerful storm that dumped up to 7 feet of snow and brought winds of up to 60 mph to the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to CBS.
Sheriff Shannan Moon said, per the outlet, that authorities are working to determine why the group continued its trip after an avalanche watch was issued Sunday and an avalanche warning was issued early Tuesday alerting of “HIGH avalanche danger” and the potential for “large” avalanches in the backcountry.
Captain Russell Greene added that the avalanche “overtook them rather quickly,” CBS reported.
According to the outlet, nine members of the group were initially reported missing. Eight have been found dead, and one person remains missing but is presumed dead as of Friday, Feb. 20, per authorities. Six people survived, including one guide and five clients. Two survivors were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Undersheriff Sam Brown told CBS that survivors went into “frantic mode” and were able to unbury three individuals who did not survive before rescue crews arrived.
Rescuers also received information through the iPhone SOS feature before reaching the group, PEOPLE previously reported.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(785x444:787x446):format(webp)/Castle-Peak-Avalanche-022026-e2da31932d6c4ad9a632d234bb2aca5f.jpg)
Nevada County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now!
Authorities have described the rescue operation as complex, with crews needing to position standby search-and-rescue teams in case a secondary avalanche is triggered. The area is remote, rugged backcountry with no ski patrol or marked trails, officials previously said.
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is also investigating Blackbird Mountain Guides, which led the trip, CBS reported. The agency typically has up to six months to determine whether workplace safety citations will be issued.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Families of six of the victims, described as a close-knit group of mothers and wives on a professionally guided trip, said they have “many unanswered questions” following the tragedy.
The families said the women were experienced backcountry skiers who were fully equipped with avalanche safety gear and trusted their professional guides, per previous PEOPLE reporting.
The sheriff’s office has not announced any charges and no additional press conferences have been scheduled as of Friday.
News
The Madeleine McCann case is officially closed; has the girl been found? Her current life is causing her family immense heartbreak… 👇👇
The claim that the case of Madeleine McCann has been “officially closed” or that she has been found is not supported by verified public information. What Is Actually Confirmed Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007 in Praia da Luz The case remains open and under investigation by authorities Over the years, investigators—particularly in Germany and the […]
MY EX-HUSBAND’S NEW WIFE SHOWED UP AT MY FATHER’S HOUSE WEEKS AFTER HIS FUNERAL AND SAID, “START PACKING”—SO I LET HER TALK… RIGHT UP UNTIL SHE MADE THE ONE MISTAKE THAT WAS ABOUT TO RUIN HER
You do not open the envelope right away. For a few seconds, you only stand there in your father’s garden with damp earth on your hands and the white roses brushing your knees, staring at your name written in his slanted handwriting. The paper is soft with morning dew, and your chest tightens so hard […]
A man was charged with domestic assault after allegedly slamming a woman’s head against a truck door four times in Whitehaven, but this wasn’t the most horrific act Jeffrey Free committed against his wife.
A man identified as Jeffrey Free has been charged in Whitehaven after an alleged violent incident involving his wife—an act that has now drawn deeper scrutiny as investigators uncover what may have been a pattern of behavior over time. The Incident That Led to Charges According to police reports: Free allegedly assaulted his wife during […]
CCTV footage shows the heartbreaking moment a car was split in two in an accident caused by 16-year-old Oscar Ramirez, who hit a 3-year-old girl. How fast was the boy driving?
The tragic crash involving 16-year-old Oscar Ramirez has drawn intense attention after CCTV footage showed the moment a vehicle was split in two, highlighting the severity of the impact. A key question now being asked is: how fast was he driving? What Authorities Typically Analyze In cases like this, investigators determine speed using: CCTV frame […]
Three Frozen Shepherd Dogs Begged a Reclusive Veteran for Shelter—Then Led Him Into a Blizzard-Buried Nightmare
The wind hit Jack Brennan’s cabin like it meant to tear the mountain apart.It was the kind of January night people in western Montana talked about for years afterward, the kind that made fences disappear, buried pickups to their windows, and turned the world outside into a white, screaming void. The old pine trees around […]
I Need A Mother For My Sons And You Need Shelter —The Rich Cowboy Proposed To The Poor Teacher… I was already freezing when I reached his gate…
I Need A Mother For My Sons And You Need Shelter —The Rich Cowboy Proposed To The Poor Teacher The wind came howling across the Montana plains like the devil himself was chasing it, carrying snowflakes sharp as broken glass. Elellanor Hayes pulled her thin woolen shawl tighter around her shoulders and pressed her […]
End of content
No more pages to load
