The body of “Top Chef Masters” star Naomi Pomeroy was found Wednesday, four days after she drowned while tubing with her husband and a friend on an Oregon river.
The celebrity chef, 49, was on the Willamette River near Portland on Saturday night when she became trapped underwater during a recreational activity.
Her body was recovered by authorities Wednesday morning after she was spotted by canoeists, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said.
The tragic drowning occurred when Pomeroy, her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and the friend were on tubes and a paddleboard that were connected to each other, but became caught in an “exposed obstruction” that caused the chef to be pulled underwater.
She was then held underwater with the paddleboard’s oar, the sheriff said.
Firefighters arrived first on the scene – 100 metres upstream from Mary’s River – with a boat, but were unable to find Pomeroy’s body.
Her husband and friend were rescued from shore and taken to a boat ramp.
Pomeroy rose to fame on Portland’s culinary scene when she opened the beloved farm-to-table restaurant Beast in 2007, according to The Oregonian.
Pomeroy is best known for her participation in Bravo’s cooking show, “Top Chef Masters,” and won the prestigious James Beard Award in 2014 for her successful restaurant that later closed.
Before the body was found this week, the sheriff’s office used sonar, underwater cameras and drones in hopes of finding Pomeroy, but heavy debris in the area made that difficult.
Her body was taken to a funeral home and her family was notified.