COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. - Two recent drownings in Coconino County were detailed by the sheriff's office in an effort to stress the importance of using personal flotation devices.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, the sheriff's office says a 58-year-old Montana man drowned in Dogtown Lake.
Teams from the sheriff's office, the Williams Police Department and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office helped find the unidentified man.
The sheriff's office didn't say what led to this man's death.
The second drowning happened on Sunday, Sept. 29, near the campground at Ashurst Lake. A lone paddleboard washed up on shore and that's when people became suspicious.
"After deputies arrived, they conducted a search of the shoreline, not finding any clues as to the circumstances behind the paddleboard. Deputies then began contacting other campers and recreators around the lake," the sheriff's office said.
An unoccupied car was found that was set up to haul a paddleboard. The car was registered to a Flagstaff resident.
As deputies were on the way to the car's registered address, the sheriff's office got a call from a woman reporting that her husband was overdue from his trip. Her husband was the missing paddleboarder.
Search teams scoured the area Sunday night and into Monday. A dive team ended up finding the unidentified man deceased in the lake at around 4:20 p.m. on Sept. 30.
"The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to stress the importance of boating and water safety. Initial investigations into these tragedies indicate this may have been a factor in both incidents. Please use a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) whenever recreating on water. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in both incidents," the sheriff's office said.