LAVEEN, Ariz. (AP) - The body of a man missing since an early February fatal automobile accident has been found in an underground irrigation aqueduct about a quarter-mile from the accident site on the outskirts of the Phoenix area, authorities said Thursday.
The body of James M. Stafford, 40, of Avondale was found Wednesday after water in that part of an irrigation system was turned back on for the first time since the Feb. 7 accident, Gila River Indian Community Police said
Stafford’s body was found about 1,200 feet from where Stafford’s car left a road, rolled as it went over a roadside canal and landed upright in a field, Officer Caroline Brown said.
After callers reported the 1 a.m. accident, police and other public-safety personnel looked unsuccessfully for anybody injured or killed, Brown said.
The body of Stafford’s girlfriend, Annie Nichole Warren, 25, of Avondale, was found later the same day downstream in the canal about 700 feet from the accident scene after being spotted by a passer-by, Brown said.
However, Stafford’s body didn’t turn up until Wednesday when police found it in the aqueduct after irrigation workers who were aware of Stafford’s disappearance reported a backup, she said.
It’s not certain how the victims ended up in the canal, but it’s likely they landed in the water after being ejected from the car as it crossed the canal, Brown said.
The causes of death were not immediately available.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.