On August 17, 2024, former Marine Mary Marshall and her service dog Suki went on their annual trip to Kings River with about a dozen friends. 

Before heading out on their river adventure, Marshall tied her raft to another friend’s raft. She also hooked her dog’s leash to a harness she was wearing. Neither of them were wearing a life vest.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office reports that they received an emergency call around 3:30pm. Marshall and Suki had gone underwater and had not come back up. “Deputies with our Boating Enforcement Unit immediately responded to the area of S. Rio Vista and E. Vino Avenues in Reedley. After searching for more than two hours, deputies with the boating and dive units ultimately recovered Marshall and her large German Shepherd.”

According to the sheriff’s office the tragedy occurred when “The rafts veered into a tree on the river, which caused them to get stuck. The dog jumped off the raft, causing it to flip over, sending Marshall into the water. Even more troublesome was her body was still attached to the dog by the leash. Both then got stuck in a strainer, a turbulent flow of water against an object that is difficult to escape. The leash became wrapped around a tree branch underwater, causing Marshall and her dog to remain submerged.”

When deputies found Marshall and Suki, “they had to cut the leash to free them and bring both to the surface of the water.”

The sheriff’s office is using this tragedy as a water safety reminder stating that it’s important to “wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket. Make sure it is secured and fits the person properly. Consider putting a pet life jacket on dogs as well.”

In addition, it’s a bad idea to tie rafts together because “if one floater experiences a problem, all others will as well because they do not have independent control of their rafts.”

Marshall’s children have created a GoFundMe to help pay for expenses such as transporting their mother’s body to the burial site and “creating a lasting memorial at the campsite honoring my mom, reminding others of the importance of water safety – a message that could potentially save lives.”

Her children describe her as “a former Marine with 20 years of service, a friend, a sister, a daughter, and a fierce protector to everyone who knew her.” They add that she “dedicated her life to caring for others,” and as a single mom, she raised her children “with love, strength, and determination.” She was 63 years old.