An Arkansas police officer lost his life while saving his fiancée from a dangerous river current only hours after asking her to marry him. According to 40/29, Rogers Police Department Officer Fred Marsh, 24, proposed to Hailey Lummus on Saturday morning before the newly engaged couple joined friends for a canoe trip along Missouri’s Elk River. What began as one of the happiest days of their lives ended in an unimaginable tragedy.
Lummus’s mother, Sheryl Padgett, said that Marsh proposed before the group headed out for the day. The friends later arrived near Easy Street in Noel, Missouri, close to the Arkansas border, expecting to spend the day on the water together. Instead, the outing quickly took a heartbreaking turn.
The accident happened when Lummus entered the river and struggled against the strong current while trying to reach a kayak. Without hesitation, Marsh rushed into the water to save her. Another Rogers police officer who was part of the trip also jumped in to help. Together, they pushed Lummus to safety near a nearby canoe. However, Marsh was caught by the current and disappeared beneath the water.
She said yes, then lost him forever
A Missouri State Highway Patrol incident report said the group had been canoeing near Easy Street in Noel, Missouri. The report stated Marsh entered the water to help someone in distress. He later died during the rescue and was pronounced dead at 10:08 a.m. local time on Sunday, July 19.
Marsh and Lummus had been together for three years before getting engaged. Padgett shared that she and Marsh developed a special bond because they had both experienced devastating loss. She had lost her own son in a fatal accident four years earlier. “I called him son, and he called me mama,” she said.
Marsh graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in April and was serving in his first year with the Rogers Police Department. According to KNWA, Marsh’s cousin Chris Frye said the young officer died exactly as he had lived. “He gave his life to save someone else,” Frye said.
On Monday, Marsh’s body was escorted through Northwest Arkansas in a motorcade. Family members, fellow officers and community members gathered to honor him. Corporal Don Lisi said the tragedy took time to process and remembered Marsh for the positive impact he made during his short time with the department. Lummus’s sister, Kourtlin Ricketts, also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses as Lummus begins rebuilding her life after the devastating loss.
Published: Jul 25, 2026 05:15 pm