Two recent graduates from Arizona State University (ASU) tragically drowned at Fossil Creek last week during a hiking trip with classmates.
Rakesh Reddy Lakkireddy, 23, and Rohith Manikanta Repala, 25, were part of a group of 18 friends who hiked four miles to the lower waterfalls on May 8. According to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), around 6 p.m., multiple 911 calls and texts reported that one or two men had entered the water and did not resurface.
Emergency responders from several departments rushed to the scene. Witnesses informed them that two men had gone into the water near the falls and had not come back up. Tonto Rim Search and Rescue stayed at the site overnight to continue the search.
The next morning, divers located the bodies of Lakkireddy and Repala 20 feet underwater.
Both men had just graduated from ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering on May 4, among the school’s 4,589 spring graduates. Kyle Squires, dean of the engineering school, expressed his condolences in a statement to Fox News. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of two of our very recent graduates who were preparing for the next steps in their promising lives,” Squires said. “Our sincere condolences go out to the families and friends of Rakesh and Rohith.”
The group had not planned extensive swimming but did bring a couple of life jackets, according to GCSO’s Sgt. Cole LaBonte. Three individuals reportedly slipped into the water from a peninsula, and it remains unclear if they knew how to swim.
“They inadvertently got into a position that exceeded their skill level by slipping into the water,” LaBonte said. “The water was a lot deeper than they thought.”
These incidents mark the first drownings at Fossil Creek this year. The area, popular during summer months, can become extremely busy, noted Bill Pitterle from Tonto Rim Search and Rescue.