Coroner ID’s woman who drowned in Kings River with her dog. Deputies detail what happened
The woman who drowned in a rafting accident at Kings River on Saturday afternoon has been identified by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.
Mary Marshall, 63, of Menifee in Riverside County, drowned along with her dog at 3:30 p.m.
Deputies responded to the scene, located at South Rio Vista and East Vino avenues after reports of a woman who fell into the Kings River and had not resurfaced, deputies said.
Search and rescue teams recovered her body two hours later and her German shepherd.
Neither were wearing a life jacket, deputies said.
Deputies learned Marshall was part of a group of a dozen friends who traditionally visit the Kings River each year to take part in a float downstream.
Marshall tied her raft to another raft. Her dog was on a leash, which was tethered to a harness she was wearing.
The rafts veered into a tree on the river, which caused them to get stuck.
The dog jumped off the raft, causing it to flip over, sending Marshall into the water.
Deputies said her body was still attached to the dog by the leash and both got stuck in a strainer, a turbulent flow of water against an object that is difficult to escape.
The leash became wrapped around a tree branch underwater, causing Marshall and her dog to remain submerged.
Deputies cut the leash to free them and bring both to the surface of the water.
Marshall was a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Deputies said this marks the fourth river drowning this year in Fresno County, with the other three occurring in the San Joaquin River.
This story was originally published August 18, 2024 at 6:59 PM.
