Crews locate body believed to be missing Phoenix warehouse employee

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Search teams have located a body believed to be a Phoenix warehouse employee who went missing in a roof collapse during monsoon storms earlier this week.

In an update on Saturday afternoon, Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller said the body, believed to be that of 22-year-old Oswaldo Antonio Montoya Torres, was found early Saturday afternoon, during the third day of search efforts.

“A little after one o’clock, our crews identified a victim we believe to be Oswaldo.” Capt. Keller said, adding that police are working with the medical examiner to determine positive identification. “This is not the outcome we wanted.”

Keller told Arizona’s Family that firefighters have been working in 12-hour shifts removing slabs of concrete and debris.

Around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a microburst hit west Phoenix, where winds up to 77 mph left roofs torn off, buildings partially collapsed and dozens of trees uprooted. Among the buildings left destroyed was a warehouse near 43rd Avenue and Van Buren Street, where family says Montoya worked.

Arizona’s Family spoke with Judith Montoya, who says her family got a call that Oswaldo was in the building at the time of the storm.

“My brother, we don’t know where he’s at. They don’t know where he’s at. They don’t, they say their dogs are locating my brother,” Judith previously told Arizona’s Family. “We let them do their job. But as of right now, I’m just asking for people’s prayers, you know, and just get my brother sooner. It’s just too much right now. You know? It’s my baby brother.”

Firefighters have been using specially trained K-9s, drones and even heavy-duty cranes to safely move the rubble. However, the building is at risk of collapsing, making it challenging for rescue crews to get inside.

According to Phoenix Fire. Capt. Todd Keller, on Friday, crews removed over 40,000 pounds of concrete in an area where the body was later located.

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According to Capt. Keller, crews will continue drilling into concrete slabs so a crane can lift debris piles. “Once we get those slabs removed and that concrete removed, we can start picking apart and sending our dogs to see if they can hit on a scent,” he explained.

If the dogs get a hit, Keller says the team will then send cameras down that have telescopic lens and listening devices.

“We are still in a rescue operation and I can tell you our members have been in situations where they’ve survived 2-3 days, 72 hours in situations like this. Yes we are being optimistic and we still are in a rescue operation,” he said.

Family says on Thursday evening, two K-9s got a hit on the same location, but the challenge has been getting inside the building.

“Since the night that we came, there was some dogs there that they were barking in the same spot. And they were like, ‘Okay. We can’t move this. We don’t have the equipment,’” Judith said.

Judith said the family is praying crews find her brother soon, adding her brother and his partner just welcomed a baby boy into the world a few weeks ago.

“There’s a lot of stuff that can be happening in there, and this just, time is running. Time is running, and he’s running out of time,” she said. “It’s just breaking us slowly while time runs and he’s not out. You know? We don’t wanna lose hope. That’s it. We’re just we’re hoping he’s here soon.”

Phoenix Fire is assisting Oswaldo’s family during this difficult time. “We are supporting them in every way. We will exhaust our resources to tend to their needs,” Keller said. “We are praying for a miracle right now; our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

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