A retired Marine and her dog drowned in a freak rafting accident on a fast-flowing river they float down every year.
Mary Marshall, 63, was rafting with a dozen friends and her German shepherd named Suki on the Kings River in Reedley, California, on Saturday.
The former sergeant happily posed for a snap with Suki on the raft before the group set off, grinning from ear to ear and excited for the annual trip.
The tragedy occurred after the group’s lunch stop, when the current caused their raft to drift into a tree jutting out of the river and become stuck.
Mary Marshall, 63, posed for a happy snap with her German shepherd named Suki on the raft before the group set off, grinning from ear to ear in excitement for the annual trip.
Marshall was rafting with a dozen friends on the Kings River in Reedley, California.
Marshall, of Menifee, California, had tied his raft to another raft and secured Suki’s leash to a harness she was wearing, but not to a life jacket.
Suki jumped off the raft when it was stuck against the tree, but this caused the raft to lose balance and tip over, sending Marshall into the water and dragging the dog with it.
“Both were caught in a strainer, a turbulent flow of water against an object from which it is difficult to escape,” the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office explained.
‘The leash became entangled in a tree branch underwater, causing Marshall and his dog to remain submerged.’
Marshall’s panicked friends called for help around 3:30 p.m. and officers searched for two hours before finding their bodies around 6:30 p.m.
Suki was still attached to her beloved owner and police had to cut the leash to get them both to the surface.
The tragedy occurred after the group’s lunch stop when the current veered off course.
Marshall was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, posing here with a comrade during his active duty service.
“There are a lot of trees in the water, they’re called sinkholes, where you can get stuck in there and we believe that’s what happened,” said Deputy Chris Tellus.
“The water is going to push you wherever it wants to push you, she just pushed it down.”
Marshall’s friend Kevin Horn, who was also on the river that day, said the group had made the trip every year for nearly two decades and she often took the lead.
“Mary was always the heart and soul of these trips, taking charge like the Marine she was,” he said.
“That morning, his enthusiasm was contagious and he kept telling everyone: “We are going to have a lot of fun.”
‘Mary’s love for these journeys was only comparable to the love she had for all of us.
‘Mary was a Marine, a fierce protector and a loving friend. Her loss is immeasurable, but we will carry her spirit with us always.’
Friends said the group made the trip every year for nearly two decades and she often took the lead.
Officers searched for two hours before finding their bodies around 6:30 p.m.
Other friends paid tribute to Marshall and shared their memories of her on the river and on dry land.
“I’m so sad, I love Mary and every time I see her it’s a joy to be with her, even though we always fight over leftover food to take home,” wrote one.
Another added: ‘I was surrounded by people I loved and doing what I loved.
“I remember one river trip where she hurt her hand and used duct tape to wrap it, earning her the nickname “Mary MacGyver” that weekend.”
Police warned anyone floating on the river to stay in the middle of the river to avoid trees and to never tie rafts together.
“This creates a dangerous situation because if one floater experiences a problem, everyone else will too because they have no independent control of their rafts,” they said.
They also suggested fitting life jackets for dogs if they joined the flotilla.