Campbell Man Dies After Falling Off Boat at Lake Havasu During Spring Break

The body of a Campbell man was recovered from a bay in Lake Havasu, Ariz. Wednesday a day after he plunged off of a boat during a Spring Break celebration, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Stefan Fowler, 25, was reported missing after falling overboard from a pontoon boat at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday and failed to resurface, said Trish Carter, spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office in Kingman, Ariz.

Friends gathered on Wednesday after hearing the news at The Spot in downtown Campbell to share their memories of Fowler.

A tribute page was created on Facebook (click here) and a place to donate to the Fowler family (click here).

The accident happened as people ventured on boats on Lake Havasu for parties during Spring Break, which occurs at the resort area throughout March, Carter said.

The boat Fowler was on had driven through a narrow channel under the famous old London Bridge and into part of Thompson Bay that gets congested by other boats during spring celebrations, Carter said.

The area has signs warning boaters to drive slowly and not create wakes that might rock other boats, Carter said.

Fowler, who was not wearing a life jacket, for some reason fell off of the bow of the boat into Thompson Bay and presumably injured himself in the fall, Carter said.

Sheriff's deputies on the shoreline and dive teams from the Lake Havasu Police Department could not locate his body Tuesday and an aerial search also turned up nothing, Carter said.

Mohave County sheriff's waterway deputies started a search this morning using sonar equipment and found Fowler's body at 10:02 a.m. in Thompson Bay about 300 yards from the Nautical Inn hotel, Carter said.

"It was an accident, but we are continuing the investigation," Carter said.

The sheriff's office obtained a urine sample from the driver of the boat Fowler fell from to test for the presence of alcohol or drugs, Carter said.

An autopsy also will be performed on Fowler's body.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

Don’t be left out of the conversation in Campbell--Get our daily newsletter delivered | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Start a blog