Woman dead after floodwaters sweep away Jeep in northeastern Arizona
Mar 24, 2023, 8:04 AM | Updated: 8:10 am
(Navajo County Sheriff's Office Photo)
(Navajo County Sheriff's Office Photo)
PHOENIX — A woman was found dead Thursday after her vehicle got stuck in floodwaters in northeastern Arizona the previous night, authorities said.
The 64-year-old woman’s husband survived the ordeal, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said.
The husband told NCSO the couple was crossing a wash known as Seymour’s Crossing on Hutch Road, about 16 miles west of State Route 377, when the fast-moving water swept their Jeep off the dirt road late Wednesday.
The Jeep came to rest after being pushed downstream, and the the couple managed to crawl out and reach the riverbank about an hour later.
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While they were seeking assistance in the dark, they became separated.
Local citizens found the husband in the morning and took him to safety. He called the sheriff’s office around 10:45 a.m. Thursday to report that his wife was missing.
A multi-agency search was launched, and the woman’s body was found a half-mile downstream from the Jeep, about 200 feet from the water, NCSO said.
In addition to the sheriff’s office, Navajo County Search and Rescue, Hashknife Sheriff’s Posse, Joseph City Fire, Holbrook EMS and Arizona Department of Public Safety took part in the search.
No other information was released. The investigation is ongoing.
It was the third reported fatality related to flooding in the state this week, as rainfall and snowmelt created hazardous conditions. A Payson couple was found dead Thursday, a day after their vehicle got stuck in Tonto Creek floodwaters.
