A 49-year-old snowboarder and a veteran ski patroller were killed in separate avalanches in the Lake Tahoe area on the day before Christmas, authorities said.

Steven Mark Anderson, 49, of Hirschdale, Calif., an unincorporated community outside Truckee, was reported missing at noon PST Monday at Donner Ski Ranch. A search dog found his body about 1:30 p.m. under 2 to 3 feet of snow at the base of an avalanche within the ski area boundaries near the main lodge.

He had been snowboarding with friends, but they had separated before the avalanche, Nevada County Sheriff's Deputy David Lade said, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Also Monday morning, Bill Foster, 53, was buried when a fellow ski patrol worker intentionally set off a slide with an explosive device during avalanche control work at Alpine Meadows, the resort said in a statement.

Foster, who was a ski patroller for 28 years, was uncovered within eight minutes and efforts were made to resuscitate him, but he died later at a hospital, Reuters reported.

The area was within boundaries in Sherwood Bowl but it was closed to the public at the time. The avalanche broke "much higher and wider on the slope than previously observed in past snow safety missions," the resort said.

Holiday travelers stranded as snow and wild weather heads east

Tahoe-area ski resorts received at least 3 feet of snow in a wind-whipped series of storms from Friday through Sunday, leading to perilous conditions even within ski area boundaries. 

On Sunday, two skiers at Squaw Valley — a 39-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy — were treated for non-life threatening injuries after they were swept up in an avalanche, although neither was buried.

"With the extremely heavy snowfall we've gotten over the last three days and the conditions prior to that, it's prime avalanche conditions," Lade said.

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AP Photo/Reno Gazette-Journal, Emerson Marcus

The Sierra Rose, a luxury yacht, is partially submerged at its Tahoe Keys Marina dock in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. on Monday.

Witnesses at the Tahoe Keys Marina say they heard screeching, the sound of tearing metal, and a passenger yell, "oh, no!" late Sunday night. 

By about 3 a.m. Monday, a three-story, $3.2 million yacht so big that it has its own helicopter pad was sunk, one end of it touching the South Lake Tahoe marina bottom at a Titanic-esque tilt. 

It's still not clear what sent the Sierra Rose to the lake bed, where it remained Wednesday waiting for a private contractor to remove it in the next few days. 

Witness Heather Contreras, who was visiting the marina from Turlock, Calif., told the Tahoe Daily Tribune that more than a dozen people were on the vessel at the time when they heard what sounded like "a loud and prolonged tearing of metal." The boat, which The Daily Tribune reported is 86 feet long, didn't immediately sink; Contreras said some people stayed on it for more than an hour after the apparent mishap. 

Nobody was injured, marina general manager Robert Spinnato said. South Lake Tahoe police are investigating, but likely won't know what caused the sinking until the vessel is lifted above water, Lt. David Stevenson told The Daily Tribune. 

On Monday, a big-screen TV, leather couches and floating slices of bread were visible inside the partially submerged watercraft, which was billed as the largest noncommercial boat on Lake Tahoe as recently as 2006. 

Agents listed on the boat's tourist rental website declined to comment to The Associated Press and msnbc.com about the situation. 

A website detailing the three-room, three-bathroom Sierra Rose for potential renters says it's inspired by the streamlined luxury vessels of the 1930s, but with state-of-the-art amenities. Features include granite counters, remote-controlled fireplaces, mahogany floors, a spa and custom crystal and china. 

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The boat rented for $2,000 a night, according to a brochure from 2008-09, or $8,000 for four hours. 

El Dorado County Environmental Health Manager Barbara Houghton said the sewage and fuel tanks were sealed and hadn't leaked into the lake, but she said inspectors from the county would be on hand to monitor efforts to pull it out of the marina. 

While the sunken vessel sat unceremoniously in the water, at least a few homeowners in the area were saying good riddance. 

Several complained to the Reno Gazette-Journal that they thought the yacht was too big and blocked views of the alpine lake. 

"It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Tahoe Keys Property Association front desk clerk Ron Parker said, according to the newspaper. "My idea is it was so ugly someone had to sink it." 

Others complained to the Gazette-Journal that the yacht's size -- which is what apparently kept it from completely sinking -- blocked views in the area.

The Sierra Rose was sold at auction in 2008 for $3.2 million to an unidentified buyer who outbid more than 40 other potential investors, according to the Gazette-Journal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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KNTV

Patricia and Joan Miller.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office broke protocol this week and released the names of two deceased residents without notifying their relatives.

The problem is that officials can't find any relatives of the twin sisters who were found dead inside their South Lake Tahoe home last week.

Read the original story at NBCBayArea.com

The bodies of Joan and Patricia Miller, 73, were discovered on Feb. 27, according to the Sheriff's Office. Authorities say they most likely died within a short time of one another of natural causes. They had been dead for several weeks before they were discovered, according to reports.

The Sheriff's Department haven't been able to locate the next of kin of the women.  Apparently throughout their lives, they always listed each other on all official forms. 

Investigators have some facts they gathered from people who knew them in Tahoe and are hoping they lead to family members.

They say the two were born in Portland Oregon, never married and were dependent on one another for their entire lives.

They came from a family who made a living in the entertainment business, including a mother who played piano. Among the items found in the home was a photo of the twins as young girls sitting on Bing Crosby’s lap, according to the LA Times.

Detectives said the twins were also in the entertainment business themselves when they were young. They performed with singer Spade Cooley on "The Hoffman Hayride" show every weekend at the Santa Monica Pier. Their performances were broadcast live on KTLA television in the 1950s.

They also may have a sibling here in the Bay Area and may have other relatives up in Portland.

Anyone with information regarding the Patricia and Joan Miller is asked to contact Detective Matt Harwood at 530-573-3015.

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