An Arkansas police officer drowned while attempting to save his fiancée and another swimmer from a river current, just hours after proposing to her. Fred Marsh, 24, of the Rogers Police Department, entered the Elk River in Missouri on Saturday to help. He was recovered the following day and pronounced deceased.
Marsh and his fiancée, Hailey, had been in a relationship for three years. The couple was canoeing with another pair on the river near Noel, Missouri, when Hailey entered the water and began struggling against the current while trying to return to their boat. Marsh and a fellow Rogers police officer who was with them immediately jumped in to assist her. They were able to move Hailey to safety, but Marsh became exhausted, went underwater, and did not resurface, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
"He saw the love of his life in distress, and he was going to help his friend and do what a good human would do," Sheryl Padgett, Hailey's mother, told KHBS. "He gave his life helping someone else."
Padgett described Marsh as loving, hardworking, and guided by his Christian faith, noting he never hesitated to help others. Marsh had been with the Rogers Police Department for one year and graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in April.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist Hailey with expenses following Marsh's death.
Marsh’s funeral arrangements are being handled by his family, with services expected to draw law enforcement officers, former classmates, and friends from across the state. Padgett encouraged people to honor Marsh's memory by being kind to others.