Eureka Springs Man Drowns in Beaver Lake

Police have identified the man who drown in Beaver Lake near the Blue Springs Village in Springdale.

Officials identified the man as Michael Bonds, 34, of Eureka Springs.

Bonds was swimming with several other people when he began having leg cramps, the Washington County sheriff’s office said. He was unable to swim to the boat because it had drifted too far away. One of his friends swam to get the boat to pick him up. When the friend got to the boat, Bonds had disappeared.

The county dive team was dispatched and found Bonds’ body 20 feet below the surface about 6:45 p.m.

Alcohol wasn’t a factor.

This is the second drowning today at Beaver Lake.

Earlier Saturday, a 39-year-old women died after she saved her teenage son from drowning, according to Alan Bland with the Army Corps of Engineers.

“We’re doing everything we can, and as a water safety professional, to say this happened possibly two in one day is the worst thing that could happen,” Bland said.

This is the fifth drowning this summer at Beaver Lake.