Calif. Mother Drowns After Dog Pulls Her Into a River, Family Calls Her a ‘Fierce Protector to Everyone’

A family is mourning the loss of their mother after the California woman and her dog drowned during an outing with friends over the weekend. 

A press release shared by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, Aug. 18, identified the deceased as 63-year-old Mary Marshall of Menifee, Calif. in Riverside County.  

Around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, “Fresno County Sheriff’s dispatchers received an emergency call regarding a woman who had fallen into the Kings River and had not resurfaced,” police said.

After searching the area of S. Rio Vista and E. Vino Avenues in Reedley for more than two hours, deputies with the boating and dive units recovered the body of Marshall, a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps., and her German Shepherd. 

“Neither of them was wearing a life jacket,” authorities said.

The sheriff’s office said Marshall was part of a group of a dozen friends who would visit the Kings River each year to take part in a float downstream. 

The fatal incident occurred when she attached her raft to another raft.

Marshall’s dog “was on a leash, which was tethered to a harness she was wearing,” police said. “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. Even more troublesome was her body was still attached to the dog by the leash.”

Authorities said Marshall and her pet became trapped in a turbulent flow of water against an object that is difficult to escape, more commonly known as a “strainer.”

“The leash became wrapped around a tree branch underwater, causing Marshall and her dog to remain submerged,” the release continued, noting that the dog’s leash had to be cut to free them both once their bodies were discovered.

Marshall’s children, Leah and Laithe, confirmed the news in a GoFundMe campaign. 

“It is with broken hearts that my brother and I share the tragic loss of our beloved mother, Mary, and her service dog, Suki,” the siblings began. “Our mom was taken from us far too soon in a heartbreaking river accident that has left our family devastated.”

They remembered her as not just their mother, “but a former Marine with 20 years of service, a friend, a sister, a daughter, and a fierce protector to everyone who knew her.”

The siblings, who have raised more than $10,000 as of Tuesday, Aug. 20, asked for help “to cover the unexpected expenses that are not covered under her military service plans.”

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“Our mom dedicated her life to caring for others, and now we want to honor her in the way she deserves. Mary was a single mom who raised us with love, strength, and determination. Now it’s our turn to give her the respectful farewell she so deeply deserves,” the GoFundMe continued. 

The FCSO urged anyone venturing into bodies of water to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket and recommended one for pets as well. 

They also suggested that only experienced swimmers participate in water activities, and reminded the community to be cautious of the heat, avoid alcohol usage, and be mindful that “the current is often stronger than it appears.”

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