A woman has died after being found underwater at the Tuzigoot River Access Point in Clarkdale on Saturday, June 24.

Clarkdale police officers responded to the Verde River recreation area at 3:32 p.m. on Saturday after multiple callers reported a drowning. Three citizens and a Clarkdale officer pulled an unresponsive woman from the water downstream from Tuzigoot Bridge. The officer and citizens performed lifesaving measures until emergency medical services arrived and took over. Medical personnel established a pulse and transported the woman by ambulance to Verde Valley Medical Center, where she later died. Witnesses estimated the woman was under water for between seven and 14 minutes.

The victim was 54-year-old Vicki Lynn Roberts of Cottonwood. She was floating in the river with her five-year-old grandson when the incident occurred. The child was wearing a life jacket and was unharmed.

Officers will continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident and cannot confirm or rule out any contributing factors until the autopsy is complete.

Clarkdale police officers were assisted by citizens at the scene as well as the Verde Valley Fire District, Verde Valley Ambulance, Cottonwood Police Department, Jerome Police Department and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.

As part of the ongoing response to this incident, the Clarkdale Police Department and Spectrum Healthcare will host a community meeting on Wednesday, June 28, at 5:30 p.m. in the Clarkdale Memorial Clubhouse Men’s Lounge, located in the Clarkdale Town Hall complex at 19 N. 9th St.

The meeting will be a critical incident stress debriefing led by trained facilitators. Anyone who was involved in the rescue, or witnessed the drowning, or is experiencing trauma from witnessing the drowning, is invited to attend.

Vicki Lynn Roberts

Vicki Lynn Roberts, 54, was born in Cottonwood and is a Verde Valley native. Family and friends are raising funds to help cover funeral expenses, stating, “Vicky touched the lives of everyone she came in contact with and was loved by all who knew her. Her passions included volunteering at our local mission to take care of the homeless, spending time outdoors, rescuing animals and spending time with her family.” 

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Roberts’ son, Thomas Warren, pay for funeral expenses and had $3,150 raised of a $4,000 goal as of July 10.

The fundraiser can be found here: Fundraiser for Thomas Warren by Jeremiah Jones : Funeral expenses for Vicky Lynn Roberts (gofundme.com)