COCONINO COUNTY, AZ — Three parents have died after falling through the ice at Woods Canyon Lake, east of Payson.
Dive teams recovered the remaining two bodies from the lake Tuesday, a day after it was reported two men and a woman fell into the frigid water.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the men have been identified as 49-year-old Narayana Muddana and 47-year-old Gokul Mediseti. The woman has been identified as Haritha Muddana. Her age is unknown at this time. Officials say they are originally from India but lived in Chandler.
The bodies of two fathers have been recovered from Woods Canyon Lake after they fell in Monday afternoon.
— Zach Crenshaw (@ZachCrenshaw) December 27, 2022
A mother/wife also fell in, but her body was recovered yesterday.
I’m told 5 children were on the shore when it happened.
DCS had to be called bc two girls were orphaned 💔 pic.twitter.com/F0sdALdCBd
On Monday, the day after Christmas, three families - comprised of six adults and five kids - drove up from the Valley to enjoy the snowy outdoors.
"They were up here, recreationally, enjoying it. Wanted to get some pictures out on the ice," said Jon Paxton with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office.
During the photograph out on the ice, three of the parents fell through and into the 30-degree water.
"Hypothermia sets in very quickly at that point," said Paxton. "And if you’re not a swimmer it’s that much more difficult."
Firefighters told ABC15 that two kids and a woman tried to rescue their loved ones. But they fell into the water themselves and barely made it to the shore.
By the time someone got cell service up the hill and first responders arrived with their limited cold water rescue resources, it was too late.
One father and both parents of two little girls had died.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety had to be called Monday evening to come out to Forest-Lakes and take custody of the orphaned girls.
"You never get used to it. Especially when you’re dealing with the children," said Paxton. "We wanted to make sure they felt as safe as possible. Tried to keep them warm and away from the scene as best we could."
