Officials are investigating a Utah lake drowning involving a teenager from Arizona and two deaths in Avondale and Buckeye.
June 7, 2026, 6:44 p.m. ET
- Three people died in separate water-related incidents over a weekend in early June.
- The incidents occurred in Avondale, Buckeye, and at Bear Lake in northern Utah.
- Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Three people died in separate water-related incidents over the weekend, including two in the Phoenix area and one involving an Arizona teenager in northern Utah, according to local authorities.
The deaths happened on June 6 and June 7 in Avondale, Buckeye and at Bear Lake near the Utah-Idaho border.
Two of those who died included a 35-year-old man found in an Avondale lake and a 17-year-old Arizona boy who died while paddleboarding in Utah. The body of an unidentified man was also found in a Buckeye canal.
Officials have released limited details, and the circumstances surrounding at least one of the deaths remain under investigation.
Here’s what we know.
Arizona teen drowns while paddleboarding at Utah lake
A 17-year-old Arizona boy drowned June 6 while paddleboarding at Bear Lake in northern Utah, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.
The teen’s name was withheld because he was a minor.
However, Capt. Chase Pili, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, said he was from Snowflake.
The teen was paddleboarding near Ideal Beach when he fell from his board and became separated from it about 3:25 p.m., according to the department.
He was not wearing a life jacket. Responders recovered him from the water and attempted lifesaving measures, but those efforts were unsuccessful, and he was later pronounced dead, the department said.
The death remained under investigation, according to the department.
Man found dead in Avondale lake
Detectives were investigating after a man was found dead in a lake on June 6 in the area of 107th Avenue and Indian School Road, according to Avondale police.
Police received a call at about 1:30 p.m. from someone who reported finding what appeared to be a dead person in the lake, spokesperson Officer Jaret Redfearn said.
Medical personnel confirmed the man, later identified as 35-year-old Jorge Aguilar, was dead at the scene, Redfearn said.
There were no signs of injury, according to Redfearn. An official cause of death was pending an investigation by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.
Body found in Buckeye canal
A man was found floating in a canal near Southern and Wilson avenues in Buckeye on June 7, according to Calbert Gillett, spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the area shortly after 11:30 a.m. after receiving a call about a person in the water, Gillett said.
Fire personnel removed the man from the canal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Circumstances surrounding the death remained under investigation, according to Gillett.
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Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
Source: Utah News