Craighead County man, Tennessee woman die in separate north Arkansas river incidents

Authorities are investigating two separate drowning incidents in north Arkansas over the weekend and early this week.

A 21-year-old Craighead County man drowned Monday in the Strawberry River at Peebles Bluff Access, according to Sharp County Sheriff Shane Russell. The man, who has not been publicly identified, reportedly waded too far into the river and was caught by a current, the sheriff told Jonesboro outlet KAIT.

Russell said the victim’s friends tried to rescue him but were unsuccessful. The man did not know how to swim, the sheriff said.

Divers from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the Evening Shade, Poughkeepsie, and Strawberry fire departments responded, according to local media outlet, Imboden Live. Emergency personnel focused their search near the boat ramp where the man was last seen.

In a separate incident, a Tennessee woman drowned Saturday in the Spring River in neighboring Fulton County.

According to the Hallmark Times, Crista Allman of Tennessee was pulled from the water and taken to the Cherokee Village Emergency Room, where she was pronounced dead by Sharp County Coroner Renee Clay-Circle.

Officers and personnel from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and other emergency outlets responded to the scene, near Saddler Falls.

Based on witness statements, Clay-Circle said Allman’s body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to determine whether the cause of death was drowning, a medical emergency or a medication-related issue.