2 men apparently drown after inflatable kayak capsizes in Lake Pleasant
Mar 7, 2023, 3:00 PM
Lake Pleasant Regional Park (Facebook Photo/Lake Pleasant Regional Park)
(Facebook Photo/Lake Pleasant Regional Park)
PHOENIX — Two men apparently drowned over the weekend after falling out of an inflatable kayak at Lake Pleasant, authorities said Tuesday.
Detectives believe Christopher Govoni, 28, and Rogelio Ortiz, 24, tried swimming to land Sunday night after their 10-foot kayak capsized about 600 feet from shore, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Neither man was wearing a life vest, MCSO said.
Witnesses called 911 around 7:45 p.m. after hearing calls for help coming from the water near the Roadrunner Campground. The campground is located at the southern end of Lake Pleasant in Peoria, about 45 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix.
Sheriff’s deputies and Peoria Fire Department responders found the capsized kayak, which wasn’t damaged, as well as two shoes floating in the water during their initial search of the area.
The search resumed Monday morning and included the use of an ROV (remote operated vehicle).
That night, Govoni’s body was located 55 feet underwater near Roadrunner Island. Searchers then found Ortiz at the same depth about 100 feet away.
The investigation is ongoing.
