Body found in Cottonwood identified as missing teenager



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COTTONWOOD, AZ – Authorities say a body found on Wednesday has been identified as a 16-year-old girl who was washed away by floodwaters near Cottonwood last week.

Local, state and federal agencies were involved in the search for Faith Moore, 16, who was swept away in a flash flood on Saturday night.

Officials said Wednesday afternoon that search and rescue personnel located the body of a young woman where the River Verde meets the basin where Moore was last seen.

Verde Valley Fire officials reported that around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, the teenager called 911 for help because her car was stuck in knee-deep water.

Teams from Verde Valley Fire, Cottonwood Fire and the police responded and made eye contact with the teenager. The water quickly rose to over eight feet within an hour.

During the rescue attempt, the girl was taken from her car and descended downstream.

Due to rising waters and active storms, air support was not immediately available, according to firefighters.

Officials said a Cottonwood Fire K9 officer was also washed downstream in the same wash as the teenager.

Authorities say some of the girl’s personal belongings were found at the scene.

Officials said there are estimates of hundreds to 1,000 in the community that have helped with the research.

“The support from the community has been absolutely amazing and the number of volunteers has been overwhelming, but we also need to be aware that we are not making more calls due to the high heat and humidity. said Fire Chief Danny Johnson.

Cottonwood officials say Moore is the granddaughter of the recently retired Verde Valley Fire District Fire Chief and the retired Verde Valley Ambulance EMS Chief, also the niece of an active firefighter from Cottonwood.



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