By Salma El-Sakka
A married couple drowned on Halloween while floating down Arizona’s lower Salt River in an inflatable kayak, authorities said. Anthony Beringer, 59, and his wife, Cindy Bowers, 68, were floating downstream around 1:30 p.m. Saturday when deputies received reports of a man yelling that his wife “couldn’t swim,” the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Bodies recovered
Both Beringer and Bowers disappeared underwater. Bowers’ body was recovered shortly after 2 p.m., while her husband’s body was found upstream around 3 p.m. The couple was sharing one inflatable kayak and neither was wearing a life jacket, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigation and warnings
Authorities have not released further details about what led to the deaths, and the incident remains under investigation. A day after the drowning, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office warned people to stay away from the Lower Salt River because the Salt River Project had released more water than usual, creating stronger currents and dangerous conditions. The agency also cautioned that heavy rain could lead to flash flooding.
The Lower Salt River, about 40 minutes east of downtown Phoenix near Mesa, is a popular spot for tubing and wild-horse sightings within the Tonto National Forest and requires a day pass.
