Pair of deaths at lakes investigated

Friday, May 27, 2005 | 11 a.m.

The National Park Service is investigating the deaths of two people, one at Lake Mead who apparently died of exposure and the other who drowned at Lake Mohave.

Both victims were found Thursday.

The vehicle of a couple who went to Lake Mead to swim in a remote cove late Tuesday became mired in dirt, National Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said. She said a man told park rangers the couple left their vehicle and headed toward the water. Somehow they became separated, Dey said.

The man, whose name was not released, wandered around the lake and finally found help on Northshore Road, flagging down a Park Service maintenance worker about 7:35 a.m. Thursday, Dey said.

National Park Service rangers and Metro Police officers found the body of 48-year-old Kimberly Jean Huntley in a dry wash near Callville Bay, Dey said. Huntley apparently died from exposure, but the coroner will determine the cause of death.

"We tell people all the time not to leave their cars," Dey said because it is easier for park rangers flying over the area to find a vehicle.

Dey said she had no information on the man who accompanied Huntley to the lake.

A 31-year-old man drowned at the Katherine Landing launch ramp area on Lake Mohave about 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Dey said. CPR was attempted by people at the launch ramp and the man was taken to a Bullhead City, Ariz., hospital. He was pronounced dead by medical staff at the hospital, Dey said.

The drowned man has not been identified, she said.

The Mohave County coroner will determine the exact cause of death and identify the man, she said.