California woman drowns in Lake Havasu after falling off houseboat

PHOENIX — A California woman drowned in Lake Havasu on Monday after falling off a houseboat, authorities said.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as 35-year-old Rennea Thompson.

Details on Lake Havasu drowning

According to the sheriff’s office, its boating safety division and the Lake Havasu City Fire Department responded to reports of a drowning north of Cattail Cove State Park around 2:11 p.m.

When they arrived they learned that Thompson had fallen overboard and not resurfaced. Divers immediately entered the water and recovered Thompson from approximately 20 feet of water, the sheriff’s office said.

Lake Havasu City Fire personnel administered life saving measures to Thompson while she was being transported by boat to a launch ramp at the state park.

She was then transferred to an AMR ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

During the preliminary investigation, detectives learned that the captain of the houseboat was attempting to re-anchor due to winds and as he was maneuvering Thompson was at the back of the boat holding the loose end of the anchor rope.

The sheriff’s office said that during the maneuver, the captain heard splash and looked back to see Thompson “frantically treading water.” The captain threw Thompson the life ring and tried to move the boat toward her location.

However by the time the captain maneuvered back to her, she had gone under the water. The captain jumped in to try and find her but was unable to, according to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation into the drowning is ongoing.

An official cause of death will be determined by the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office.

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