A hiker near Dead Horse Ranch State Park discovered a body in the Verde River Wednesday, Sept. 27.
At approximately 8 a.m., the Cottonwood Police Department dispatched officers to the hiker’s location. The hiker led the officers to the body located 200 yards east of the 10th Street bridge near the park.
Following the department’s next of kin notification, the victim’s family asked that the victim’s name not be released. CPD revealed the deceased was a 74-year-old female resident of Cottonwood who had not been reported missing.
The exact cause of death is still under investigation, but it does not appear to be under suspicious circumstances.
“We are uncertain as to exactly when this occurred,” CPD Cmdr. Gary Eisenga said. “All indications are that it was a suicide …. That will be determined by the medical examiner. It does not appear all that long ago.”
With the assistance of Cottonwood Fire Department personnel, the body was removed from the river.
“It was a fairly easy extraction as the body was located near the river’s edge and there was very little current in that location,” Eisenga said. “The fire department personnel had tools with which to catch onto her clothing and maneuver her to a suitable location to remove her body.
