A weekend kayaking trip on Arizona's Salt River ended in tragedy for a married couple who drowned after their inflatable kayak capsized, authorities reported.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a distress call on October 31, when a man was heard yelling that his wife could not swim.
The victims were identified as Cindy Bowers, 68, and her husband, Anthony Beringer, 59. Both were residents of Chandler, Arizona.
According to investigators, the couple was sharing a single inflatable kayak and neither was wearing a life vest. Bowers went underwater after the kayak capsized, and Beringer subsequently drowned in an apparent attempt to reach her.
Bowers' body was recovered by MCSO's FOX10 helicopter at approximately 2:11 p.m. on Saturday. Beringer's body was found about 50 minutes later, around 3 p.m.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has urged the public to exercise caution on the Lower Salt River, noting that the Salt River Project is releasing higher-than-normal water levels. "Increased flows can create dangerous currents and rapidly changing conditions," the office stated in a social media post. Heavy rainfall from an atmospheric river had contributed to flash flooding across Arizona over the weekend.