West Valley City woman goes missing while scuba diving in Mexico

WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley woman went missing off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, this week while scuba diving with a group.

Tamara Lashlee, 43, was on a scuba expedition with her two brothers, along with a larger group. Her mother, Emma Lashlee, said it was either Sunday or Monday morning that her daughter got ahead of the rest of the group.

"They were going up to the surface, and she was a little ahead," she said. "And then I guess she got out of sight or something, and they went up after her and they never did find her."

Since then, the Mexican Marine Armada has been searching for Lashlee. Cozumel is an island in the Gulf of Mexico close to the far southeast portion of Mexico and across from Cuba.

Emma Lashlee said her daughter loves the outdoors and is the adventurous type, but had never been scuba diving before.

"I don't know if she was panicking. I don't know if she was through and ready to give up (diving that day)," she said. "They looked and looked and looked and couldn't find her."

Emma Lashlee said her daughter was with a tour guide, and there were "a lot" of people on the boat who took them scuba diving.

Tammy Lashlee has three children. She had been living with her mother until she could close on a new home in Utah on Feb. 1.

— Pat Reavy

Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam