Remains Of 17-Year-Old Jack Cantin Found 3 Years After Devastating Montecito Mudslide
MONTECITO (CBSLA) — The remains of Jack Cantin, a teenager killed three years ago in the mudflows that devastated Montecito, have been found, his mother said this week.
Jack was 17 years old when torrential rains hit Thomas Fire-devastated hills in Santa Barbara County, creating a mud and debris flow that destroyed more than 100 homes and killing nearly two dozen people. Jack and another child, 2-year-old Lydia Sutthithepa, have been missing since that 2018 disaster.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says a report by a UC Santa Barbara anthropologist, Dr. Danielle Kurin, have determined the remains "are consistent with those of Jack Cantin" and she is "over 90% certain that these remains are those of Jack Cantin."
Kim Cantin, the teen's mother, came forward this week to say that her son's remains had been found near the family's former home around Memorial Day, but she waited for lab results before going public with the discovery.
"And so now, the amazing thing is I will have Jack to bury at the cemetery next to his father, with dignity," she said.
The teen's father, Dave Cantin, was also killed in the mudslide. His body was found on the beach near Montecito Creek.
Authorities say they are reviewing the forensic report, but they still consider Jack to be an open missing persons case.