Parker man drowns on Lake Havasu

A Parker man drowned on Lake Havasu over the weekend. Samuel Wipf, 35, was swimming with friends at the rear of a boat when he began struggling in the water and never resurfaced.

On Sunday at around 4:20 pm, deputies responded to a report of a drowning in Skiers Cove on Lake Havasu. According to witness statements, Wipf was swimming near the back of a boat which was floating at the time, and began struggling for an unknown reason. He went under the water and did not come back up.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Mohave County Sheriff’s Department and Lake Havasu City Police Department all sent dive teams, conducting a series of rescue dives and sonar scans to try to find Wipf. A helicopter from Native Air was also on scene to conduct aerial searches. At around 8:25 pm, Wipf was located using Mohave County’s towable side scan sonar and was recovered by San Bernardino divers. Wipf was turned over to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Coroner Division.