Overview
- The body of 22-year-old Sahr Sewah was recovered around 12:15 p.m. on May 24 after deputies responded to a missing-person report the day before, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.
- Deputies recovered 23-year-old Jason Blake Jr. after responding to reports of a swimmer struggling about a half-mile downstream from Stewart Mountain Dam just after 10:30 a.m. on May 25, the sheriff’s office said.
- Officials have treated both deaths as drownings, notified next of kin, and offered no public indication of criminal activity in either case.
- Families and friends have set up GoFundMe pages to cover funeral and repatriation costs, with Sewah’s organizers seeking to bring his body to Minnesota for burial.
- The incidents underscore recurring dangers for holiday river recreation at the Salt River and have prompted public calls for simple safety steps such as staying with a group and carrying life preservers when swimming or tubing.