A 49-year-old San Diego County woman drowned March 10 in Lake Havasu when her life jacket came off after she jumped from a boat, the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office said.
Lake Havasu is at the California-Arizona border, about 300 miles east of Los Angeles.
Cynthia Marin of La Mesa, Calif., had improperly secured her life jacket, and it came off, the sheriff’s statement said. She panicked and “went below the surface.”
Rescue divers first on the scene were unable to locate her, officials said.
First responders in a helicopter assisted in the search.
Ms. Marin was found 42 feet down in 59-degree water near the Islander RV Resort,where a rescue team used side scan sonar technology off a boat to narrow the search, with divers recovering her body, officials said.
According to a GoFundMe page set up for funeral expenses, Ms. Marin leaves behind two adult daughters, Alison and Barbara, and a young son, Julian, as well as two granddaughters.
The family is asking for donations to help bring Ms. Marin’s body back to California.
