Sisters, ages 4 and 10, die when off-road vehicle rolls into creek, AZ cops say
Two sisters, ages 4 and 10, were killed when the off-roading vehicle they were riding rolled into a remote creek in Arizona, authorities said.
The crash happened Friday, April 18, in the Lower Eagle Creek, Greenlee County Sheriff Eric Ellison said in a Facebook post.
Their father was driving a side-by-side with the mom in the front seat and their three young daughters seat-belted into the back, Ellison told McClatchy News by phone April 23.
He said the dad was driving on a section of the creek that was 3 feet deep.
As they got off the path, the vehicle rolled into an 8-feet-deep part of the creek, completely submerging the side-by-side in water, Ellison said.
The 4-year-old and 10-year-old drowned while strapped into the vehicle, KNXV-TV reported from authorities.
The parents revived the 3-year-old sister by performing CPR, deputies told the news outlet.
Then they texted authorities at about 5:20 p.m. asking for help, the sheriff said.
The area is a “dead zone” where cellphones and radios do not work, he said.
Ellison said authorities only had 4x4 vehicles at the time of the incident, and these vehicles couldn’t reach the family, so riders in the area loaned their side-by-sides to deputies.
It took two to three hours for rescuers to get to the scene because of terrain and the creek’s location, which was in a narrow canyon surrounded by “sheer cliffs,” Ellison told McClatchy News.
Once there, the 3-year-old was taken to a hospital in critical condition, deputies said. She’s still in critical condition as of April 23.
The family was visiting from Deming, New Mexico, the sheriff said.
Lower Eagle Creek is in southeastern Arizona, near the New Mexico border.
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Sisters, ages 4 and 10, die when off-road vehicle rolls into creek, AZ cops say."
