Sahr Sewah, 22 and an Arizona State University graduate, was found dead after drowning following a tubing outing with friends on the Salt River. His family is raising funds to bring his body back to Minnesota for funeral and burial expenses.
For the Salt River, the season is supposed to be about warm weather and floating with friends. But for the family of Arizona State University graduate Sahr Sewah. those hopes have turned into a long. painful waiting period—ending when deputies found his body more than a day after he was reported missing.
Sewah, 22, was reported missing on May 23 after going tubing with friends, according to a GoFundMe created to honor his memory. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to reports of a missing person around 3:15 p.m. that day. His body was found around 12:15 p.m. May 24, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Dave Moyer said. Moyer added that Sewah’s next of kin was notified shortly afterward.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office listed drowning as the primary cause of death, with the manner of death being an accident.
The GoFundMe organizer, Toyin Adejuwon, said Sewah graduated from ASU on May 12, describing him as “full of hope, dreams and excitement for his future.” Adejuwon said Sewah’s passing has left his family devastated.
To help bring him home. the family is raising funds to transport Sewah’s body to Minnesota and cover burial. funeral and memorial expenses. the GoFundMe says. Adejuwon wrote: “Sahr was a kind, warm, and loving young man who touched many lives. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him.”.
As deputies and family members worked through the aftermath, another death underscored the danger in the same river system. Moyer said another man was found dead half a mile downstream from the Stewart Mountain Dam, where the dam forms Saguaro Lake and slows the passage of the Salt River.
Lake patrol deputies responded just after 10:30 a.m. May 25 after witnesses said 23-year-old Jason Blake Jr. was swimming across the river and began struggling at the middle point, Moyer said. Deputies searched the area and found Blake’s body, Moyer said. The cause and manner of death were not yet listed on the county medical examiner’s website.
The timeline laid out by investigators now sits beside a seasonal shift. Salt River tubing opens for the 2026 season, setting the backdrop for how many people approach the river in the coming months—even as May’s deaths remain under medical review and families continue to absorb what happened.
Sahr Sewah Salt River drowning ASU graduate Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Dave Moyer Toyin Adejuwon GoFundMe Jason Blake Jr. Saguaro Lake
That river is no joke, like people act shocked every summer.
So sad. Why would they even go tubing if it’s that dangerous? I know “accident” but still… they should’ve warned people more.
Wait they found him like 12:15 the next day? That seems fast but also idk. And it says another guy died half a mile downstream, like same spot? Maybe the dam thing makes currents weird or whatever.
I saw this on my feed and honestly thought it was in Minnesota?? Like why would they move the body back if he was already in Arizona studying? Also “tubing outing” sounds fun until it’s not. Prayers to the family but I wish people would quit pretending rivers are safe just cause it’s warm out.