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'Top Chef' contestant Naomi Pomeroy dies at age 49
Naomi Pomeroy, the Portland-based Top Chef Masters contestant who won the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef Pacific Northwest, died Saturday in an accident on the Willamette River, according to multiple reports. She was 49.
Pomeroy was reportedly among those floating down the river near Corvallis with a paddleboard and inner tubes tied together. The assembly got caught on an obstruction in the river and, according to the AP, Pomeroy was “pulled under and captured” because the paddleboard line wouldn’t let her up. Her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and another person were also captured but escaped to shore. Pomeroy did not.
"Both yesterday and today, the Benton County Sheriff's Office had personnel … both Marine Patrol Deputies and Search and Rescue personnel, on the water, continuing the efforts to recover the victim. Debris in the river, currents and rough rocks make it unsafe for divers to conduct an underwater exploratory search. We will continue our efforts to recover the victim, to bring [closure] to the family and the community," Benton County Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall told Eater late yesterday.
