The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is currently engaged in a search operation for Richard Powers, a 65-year-old man who went missing while paddleboarding at Saguaro Lake. Powers was last spotted early Sunday morning at around 5:45 a.m., near Boat Ramp 1, according to 12News. Following his absence from a scheduled class at No Snow Stand Up Paddleboards at 7 a.m., the owner, and Powers' friend, Court Fetter, raised the alarm.
In a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix, the MCSO detailed that "Richard Powers was last seen paddleboarding at Saguaro Lake near boar ramp 1, located in the Tonto National Forest. Richard's paddleboard and personal belongings were located on the southside of Saguaro Lake near Captain's Nook." Fetter described Powers as an active part of the local paddleboarding community and expressed concern, suggesting that Powers may have experienced a medical episode.
During the search effort, the sheriff's office deployed multiple surface side scans and aviation searches. MCSO Public Information Officer William Jinks explained to 12News, “Scans will look for different anomalies. It will scan the floor and up from there, so you’ll see different ledges and rocks and trees and things like that." Jinks admitted the searches can be challenging due to the lake's vastness, being approximately 10 miles long with depths reaching up to 90 feet.
At the time of his last sighting, Powers was wearing a lime green hooded sweatshirt, black shorts, and flip-flops. He is described as having gray hair and green eyes. The MCSO urges anyone with information to come forward and contact the sheriff's office at 602-876-1011.
