California mom and her 8-month-old daughter who were missing for weeks are found dead in submerged vehicle

A month-long search for a California mother and her 8-month-old daughter came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday when they were found submerged in their SUV, search crews confirmed.

Whisper Owen, 36, and her daughter, Sandra McCarty, had been missing since July 15, when Owen drove from their home in Sacramento to Fresno for a doctor’s appointment and to visit with family. She was last seen leaving Fresno that evening to return home to Sacramento but never arrived,

On Sunday, the mother and baby were discovered inside their 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was submerged in a canal under a bridge on Highway 120 near Oakdale, California, KXTV reported.

The family told KXTV that Owen’s phone had last pinged on Victory Avenue and Highway 120.

Adventures with Purpose, a nonprofit that specializes in searching waterways for missing people, had stepped in to help the family after weeks without answers.

The volunteer search team made the grim discovery at the location using sonar technology and confirmed two bodies were inside the vehicle.

Searchers said evidence suggests Owen made a desperate attempt to save her daughter.

“It appears as though Whisper was making her way to the backseat to save her daughter, Sandra,” Jared Leisek with Adventures with Purpose told KXTV.

“Our dive team has responded, and they did locate one adult in the vehicle and one infant in the vehicle,” Heather Brent with the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the outlet.

As the family grieves, they are determined to keep Whisper and Sandra’s memory alive.

“They were beautiful people who made a very big difference in this world and a lot of people’s lives,” Richard Owen, Whisper’s brother, said.

“That’s what they deserve to be remembered as.”

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family with funeral costs.

The Fresno Police Department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The California Highway Patrol is also conducting an investigation with the sheriff's office to determine how the car ended up in the water.