James Beard award-winning chef Naomi Pomeroy’s body has been recovered nearly four days after her fatal inner tubing accident.
Pomeroy’s body was discovered in the Willamette River located in Hyak Park, Oregon, on Wednesday around 10 a.m., according to a press release from the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
“People canoeing on the river spotted a body and called 911,” the sheriff's office said.
Marine deputies arrived at the scene shortly after and “located a deceased female on a shallow section of bedrock near the middle of the river with about one to two feet of water.”
“Deputies released Naomi to a funeral home and notified her family of the recovery,” the release added.
According to The Oregonian, Pomeroy was inner tubing with her husband Kyle Linden Webster and an unnamed third individual on the evening of July 13. Pomeroy’s family told Portland Monthly that the accident occurred when their inner tubes, which were tied together, flipped over in fast-moving currents after hitting a snag on the Willamette River. Both Webster and the unnamed third individual survived, the outlet reported.
Pomeroy is survived by her husband and their daughter August.
“The Bravo and ‘Top Chef’ family send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy. Naomi was a powerhouse chef who made an indelible mark on the culinary industry,” Bravo Top Chef wrote in an X post Tuesday.
The Bravo and Top Chef family send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy. Naomi was a powerhouse chef who made an indelible mark on the culinary industry.
— Bravo Top Chef (@BravoTopChef) July 16, 2024
Former “Top Chef” host and judge Padma Lakshmi paid tribute to Pomeroy in an Instagram post made Thursday: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of chef Naomi Pomeroy. She was always a welcome presence at judges table and I was blessed to get to know the inspiring woman over the years. My condolences to her loved ones, what an incredible loss to our community.”
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