Body believed to be that of missing man in Rainbow Valley floods found: MCSO
Body of missing AZ man believed to be found: MCSO
Deputies in Maricopa County have found a body in Goodyear, and they believe the body is that of a man who was swept away by floodwaters over the weekend. FOX 10's Ashlie Rodriguez reports.
RAINBOW VALLEY, Ariz. - Officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office say they believe crews have found the body of Vincent Upton, who went missing after flash floods south of Goodyear.
What they're saying:
"At approximately 1:20PM, members of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Posse along with good Samaritans located the body of an adult male whom we believe is Vincent Upton," read a portion of MCSO's statement.
Dig deeper:
The body, according to officials, was found "a considerable distance" away from Upton's vehicle. The truck was found off of 214th Avenue.
"Next of kin has been notified," officials with MCSO wrote.
The backstory:
Upton went missing following severe weather over the weekend that prompted a number of water rescues. He was first reported missing at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12.
Rainbow Valley, according to reports, received an estimated 1.3in of rain. According to an MCSO deputy, the water flowing through the wash was as high as the hood when Upton allegedly drove through it.
(Previous Video) Rainbow Valley community pleas for help finding missing man after truck is found in floodwaters
Friends of Vincent Upton have not heard from him after his truck was found caught in the Rainbow Valley floodwaters.
Local perspective:
"He's a great father, great husband," Ben Santana, who was Upton's best friend, said on Oct. 12. "So you can say I'm walking down here to the river or to the wash. It's still flowing pretty good."
At least 50 people came out to Rainbow Valley, south of Goodyear, joining the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in the search on Sunday.
"Right now, just people are trying to coordinate different groups to search on either side of the wash because it's still flowing where you're blocked off from going across," Santana said.
What's next:
"Due to the difficult terrain, conditions, and incoming weather, MCSO Deputies are currently working on extracting Vincent from the location utilizing our aviation unit," a portion of MCSO's statement reads.