17-05-2025
Bodies of Rancho Tehama father, son still no recovered
It has been six months since a Rancho Tehama family lost their father and two sons in a Bodega Bay boating accident. According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, two of the bodies have yet to be recovered.
Johnny Phommathep and his two sons, 17-year-old Johnny Jr. and Jake, 14, drowned when the boat they were crabbing on capsized in rough weather on Nov. 2, 2024.
Johnny Jr.'s body was recovered on Nov. 3. It has been reported Johnny Jr. helped save his 11-year-old cousin, Juladi, who was also onboard the 21-foot Bayliner. It appears Johnny Jr. helped Juladi, who was wearing a life-vest, grab onto an ice chest. The younger boy was then able to safely make it to shore – Johnny Jr. unfortunately succumbed to the rough seas.
Of the six who went out on the boat that tragic day, only Juladi survived. The other two adults on the boat were Johnny Sr.'s cousin, Prasong Khammoungkhoune, and his friend, Matthew Ong. The Bayliner belonged to Khammoungkhoune.
The irony of this story is two-fold and began seven years previous to the Nov. 2 Bodega Bay catastrophe.
Johnny Jr. and Jake were both victims who survived the November 2017 mass shooting in Rancho Tehama when a gunman opened fire on the truck driven by their mother, Tiffany Phommathep, as she was taking the boys to school.
Both boys, 10 and 6 at the time, and Tiffany were struck by bullets and shrapnel. All recovered. Tiffany, who was hit by five rounds, continues to have both physical and emotional scars from the bloody rampage that eventually took the lives of six people, including the gunman, and injured 14.
And now, Tiffany and her remaining sons are attempting to make it through the maze of grief, victims once again of untold tragedy.
Johnny Jr. was a senior at Corning Union High School and member of the varsity football team, and Jake a freshman. On the Friday following the tragedy, during the varsity football game the team recognized their lost teammate and honored Tiffany and Tristan, the boys' brother, with words of encouragement and caring, hugs and tears, flowers and shared memories.
Tiffany Phommathep could not be reached for comment.
