A woman and her dog have died in what’s being described as a “freak” drowning incident on the Kings River located in Reedley, California. The incident took place on Saturday, August 17.
Sixty-three-year-old retired Marine Mary Marshall took her German Shepherd Suki on what had been an annual raft trip on the river that she took with friends. There were about a dozen people with Marshall and Suki, and the retired Marine sergeant took what would end up being the last pictures of her just before they set off for what should have been a day of fun in the sun and water.
The group was ready to go to shore for lunch when an unexpected current grabbed hold of Marshall’s raft and pushed it into a tree that was jutting out of the river. Marshall had tied her raft to someone else’s, and she had hooked Suki’s leash up to a harness she was wearing on her own body. But tragically, Marshall was not wearing a life jacket.
Suki the dog jumped from the raft when it hit the tree, which caused the raft to tip over. Both Marshall and Suki, bound together, ended up flailing in the water.
Things went from bad to horrifyingly worse. According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s office, the two were “stuck in a strainer.” This is the term for a spot of turbulent water flow around an object like the tree that was sticking out into the river. This turbulent flow can be difficult or impossible to escape as the water exerts a surprising amount of pressure.
Suki’s leash then got wrapped around an underwater tree branch, and both Marshall and Suki were pulled beneath the surface. Panicked, the friend group called for emergency help at about 3:30, but it was too late. Rescue workers arrived at the scene and found Marshalls’ and Suki’s bodies, still lashed together, about three hours later.
Sheriff’s deputy Chris Tellus said that area has numerous trees in the water providing plenty of places to get caught in a dangerous situation. People and animals are no match for the turbulent currents around these objects, and the woman and her dog got taken down this way, he said.
Grieving friend Kevin Horn said the group had taken this trip for 20 years, and Mary Marshall was often the one who ended up taking charge of the expedition “like the Marine she was.”
