A Trip to Reggae on the River Ends in Tragedy

Jose "Johnny" Mandujano, the 40-year-old Willits man reported missing after attending the Reggae on the River festival last weekend, has been found dead near Leggett, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said.

Mandujano was located on the morning of Aug. 18 at the bottom of an approximately 35-foot cliff off Highway 101, near Mile Post Marker 83.4, according to a sheriff's office press release. Personnel from CAL FIRE traversed the terrain to reach him and determined that he was deceased. Sheriff's deputies opened a coroner's investigation.

The cause and manner of death have not been determined, the sheriff's office said, and an autopsy is being scheduled. Mandujano's family and legal next-of-kin have been notified.

Mandujano had attended the festival and was overdue to return home when the Willits Police Department opened a missing-person investigation. During the early morning hours of Aug. 16, his vehicle had reportedly been involved in a traffic collision near Mile Post Marker 83.5 of North Highway 101 near Leggett, the sheriff's office said.

On the afternoon of Aug. 17, Willits police followed up at the tow yard where Mandujano's vehicle was stored and at the collision scene. After exhausting investigative leads, the department contacted the sheriff's office to request its Search and Rescue team to search along the freeway where the collision had reportedly occurred. Because of the dangers of searching the freeway in the dark, the search was set for the following morning.

As the Search and Rescue team headed toward Leggett on Aug. 18, deputies received word that Mandujano had been located by CAL FIRE personnel.

This account is based on a Mendocino County Sheriff's Office press release issued Aug. 19, 2026.