The Tulare County coroner confirmed that three adventurers from Utah drowned in a whirlpool in the Nevada Mountains before 5:30 pm on August 23.
The spokesperson for the coroner’s office identified the deceased as David Bell, 42, Pete On, 46, and Jeannine Skinner, 34. The official cause of their deaths has not been released yet, but according to friends and family, the trio drowned in a mountain pool near Seven Teacups.
It was reported that the three victims were part of a group of about 13 people who were exploring the Kings Canyon, engaging in activities such as hiking, rock climbing, swimming, and rappelling down cliffs.
According to accounts from their loved ones, Skinner fell into the whirlpool after rappelling down the last cliff that day and got trapped in the water. On was the first to react upon seeing Skinner struggling; he jumped in to try to pull her to safety but was also swept into the whirlpool. Bell’s friend, Daniel Oster, mentioned that Bell then jumped in to rescue both of them but all three ended up drowning.
Oster said that the three were pulled out of the whirlpool after being underwater for 7 minutes but could not be revived. The Tulare County sheriff’s department airlifted their bodies out of the mountains the following day. The sheriff expressed, “The pain in the face of such loss is indescribable.”
Oster set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe for Bell’s family, and as of Tuesday afternoon, donations had reached nearly $14,000. Bell was the CEO and founder of the Utah Marathon and Running group Runtastic Events, as well as a founding member of the Harrington Art Center. Skinner was a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and health coach. On, self-proclaimed on his Facebook page as an “adventurer.”
As of Tuesday, no further information about the three individuals has been released by authorities.
In a Facebook memorial post, Bell’s friend Katherine Hall mentioned, “He (Bell) always gave the warmest hugs, and just being around him made you happier, as if he was giving you a big hug.”
She stated that if Bell wasn’t out exploring outdoors, he would be dancing and laughing. Hall also revealed that Bell had “fallen in love” with Skinner and had plans to marry her. She wrote that they left this world together, and when such a tragedy occurs and takes away those vibrant souls, there are no words to describe the pain and feelings within one’s heart.