Arkansas Officer, 24, Drowns Saving Fiancée in Missouri River After Proposal

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 23

Fred Marsh, a 24-year-old Rogers, Arkansas, police officer, drowned in Missouri’s Elk River after jumping in to save his fiancée, whose mother said he had proposed just hours earlier.
Saturday’s rescue attempt began when Hailey struggled against the current while trying to return to a canoe near Noel; Marsh and another Rogers officer got her to safety, but Marsh became exhausted, went under and was recovered Sunday.
Marsh was in his first year with the Rogers Police Department, having graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in April and only recently started work as an officer.
A motorcade escorted his body through Northwest Arkansas on Monday as residents lined the route, and a GoFundMe for Hailey’s living expenses had raised nearly $2,000 by Thursday morning.
The death comes amid broader scrutiny of dangerous floodwaters and fast-rising rivers in the region, after rescuers in Texas said recent flooding again showed how quickly conditions can turn deadly.