Government says Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy drowned after nearby tube and paddle board blockage in river

The government is still searching for the body of award-winning Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy, who drowned Saturday night when she was pulled under H2O by either her paddleboard leash or a leash connecting two inner tubes or both into a submerged tree. But they were stuck. Life She was once floating on the Willamette River like Corvallis.

Pomeroy, 49, was one of three people floating on two tubes and a paddleboard who were attached after hitting an exposed snag about 100 yards downstream in the Marys River.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office first said Pomeroy was “held by the paddleboard leash” below H2O, although the Sheriff’s Office has since clarified that he was held by both the leash and the leash connecting the two interiors. will be. Tube.

Pomeroy did not land on the floor. The search for his body continued for the fourth day on Tuesday.

When she became stranded around 8:30 p.m., Pomeroy was sitting in an inner tube, a lifemate was sitting in a second inner tube and a third person was sitting on a paddleboard, which was attached. Benton County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Toby Botturf said Pomeroy’s leg was through a leash. Three of them went into the water closest to where they created a blockage. Pomeroy was given a stranded lifeboat while the alternate two remained floating downstream.

Most likely most of the others attempted to swim upstream to support Pomeroy, Bottorff said, but were unable to reach him due to the intensity of the current.

Sheriff’s officials said the two closest people made it to shore and were picked up by the Corvallis Fire Area. Friends and nationals said Pomeroy was with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster. The government has not yet been able to trace the third person, saying only that he was a male but that his timing is not known at this time.

Rescue workers from the Corvallis Fire Area were the first to respond to the hit. When they arrived, they believed there might be four patients, Deputy Chief of Operations Kevin Fulsher told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Three rescue workers reached Pomeroy by boat and tried unsuccessfully to pull him out of H2O to begin CPR, Fulsher said.

Branch’s rescue swimmer later fell into the H2O. Moving downstream, the rescue swimmer found that Pomeroy was entangled in a wire or rope that prevented her from moving. He took out a knife and cut the wire, hoping she would float with the flow to the river surface, where rescuers were hoping she could be easily pulled into the boat for CPR, Fulsher said.

Instead, Pomeroy drowned before the swimmer, perhaps having captured his shop and rescuers having lost his photograph.

“Our response, every time, we are going to save saveable victims. “Our staff believed this was what they had,” Fulsher said. “They were very aggressive and put themselves in danger to make this save and we were unable to do that because of the challenging conditions.”

“We are heartbroken for the victim and the family,” said Corvallis Hearth Area Chief Ben Jens.

The sheriff’s place of business has taken over the drug operation. In the four days since Pomeroy drowned, despite the use of sonar, underwater cameras and drones, they have been unable to find her body. A commercial boat from the Sheriff’s Office was searching for the wreck downstream on Tuesday, but river currents and debris have made the operation difficult.

Botturf said Pomeroy’s structure probably sank to the river bottom. He said he expected his body to land about five days after his death.

The sheriff’s office will keep a boat on the river throughout Sunday searching for her body, he said, and will reconsider which days are closest to searching for her if she is not found later.

Some challenging conditions are low visibility – about 3 to 5 feet – due to the small current, as well as various rocky nooks and crannies at the river base.

Since the Sheriff’s Office has had a vigil on the river every day since Saturday, searchers also urged the community to “keep an eye out” for Pomeroy’s body. He warned the public to call 911 and not to aim the drug at will.

“I am dedicated to locating Naomi and returning her to her family and loved ones,” Benton County Sheriff Jeff Van Arsdall said in a comment. “I want to thank everyone involved in the search and recovery mission and support during this difficult time.”

Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Albany Hearth Area and Albany Police Area all assisted the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Corvallis Hearth area with search and rescue.

The Sheriff’s Office warned the public not to secure themselves on their paddleboards unless their leashes have a rapid fall system and warned against tying more than two inner tubes together. The Oregon Circumstance Marine Board on Tuesday urged the public to never tie the ankles of their paddleboards when moving down rivers such as H2O, because of the risk that the leashes will take them out of the water if they become entangled in rocks or wood. Can hide inside.

“On a lake or other calm water, this is an excellent safety device when used in conjunction with a life jacket,” the board said in a comment. “However, in running water, the leash can be fatal.”

A homeless couple who live on a wooded embankment near Willamette said they watched the rescue operation take place over several days and saw searchable drones in the air and some sheriff’s office boats on H2O.

“We knew something was bad,” Sandy Wendell said.

The couple found no rescuers Tuesday around their part of Willamette. He said that on an average 50 to 100 people flow into the river every year.

Memorial posts for Pomeroy flooded social media Monday and Tuesday, with friends and colleagues declaring that Pomeroy was once a “titan of Portland food” and a culinary “rock star” who changed the face of American dining.

Pomeroy was a self-taught chef who first came to fame through a pop-up restaurant he hosted at his home. She and her husband later opened some major restaurants, and found themselves featured in magazines and on TV.

Pomeroy’s restaurant Beast was named Oregonian’s Co-Dining Place of the Generation in 2008. In 2013, he competed in “Top Chef Masters” and, in terms of age, was named the best chef in the Northwest at the James Beard Awards. ,

She is survived by her husband and daughter August. Denial memorial services and products were introduced.

Later in the future, Pomeroy and business husband Luke Dirks are opening an unused diner called Farmland Birthday Celebration in a secluded area similar to the community bistro they hope to see at 4537 SE Section St. this fall.

The two plan to hold four more dinners in the future, including one each this Thursday and Friday, a trend they hope will continue through the end of the summer and possibly beyond. Those programs were cancelled.

“See you all again!!” Pomeroy wrote in a post describing the June 26 dinner.

Workforce essayist Michael Russell contributed to this file.

– Fedor Zarkhin is a reporter focused on breaking news and crime. Reach him at 971-373-2905; fzarkhin@oregonian.

– Tatum Todd covers crime and community safety. get them ttodd@oregonian.comor 503-221-4313.

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