Crews Continue Search For Missing Woman At Wildcat Falls
MERRIMACK, N.H. — Crews continued their search Wednesday for a 48-year-old woman who went underwater at Wildcat Falls and never resurfaced.
Witnesses said Susan Bonitatibus was in about a foot of water with a friend Tuesday when she apparently got swept up in the swift current of the Souhegan River and went over the falls.
“It’s very deceiving,” said Merrimack Fire Assistant Chief David Parenti. “You can look at the water, and it will seem very calm and a pool, and you slide over to the left or the right, and the current will grab you. There’s a lot of hydraulics in there. Where the water comes over rocks or ledges, the water spins.
Officials searched the riverbanks for Bonitatibus’ body but found nothing. The water was running at 1,200 cubic feet per second, equivalent to about 72,000 pounds of force and too dangerous for divers.
“The river is extremely high right now, and this particular area is particularly treacherous,” said Fish and Game Department Lt. John Whitmore. “It even is in low-water conditions.”
Most rivers and streams across the state are experiencing similar conditions, officials said. On Friday, a swimmer drowned in the Pemigewasset River in Lincoln. Fish and Game officials urged everyone to steer clear of the water until the levels return to normal.
“Because of the rain we had all summer, the rivers are extremely high,” Whitmore said. “Thy’re extremely treacherous, and it really takes just one slip and you can be tumbled down stream quite a ways.”
“It is dangerous,” said Merrimack resident Carol Silva. “You live in the neighborhood, you know to stay away from it. Especially in this situation, with all the heavy, heavy rain, the current is unbelievable.”
Fish and Game officials said they will continue their search in the area and will return divers to the Wildcat Falls area as soon as conditions allow.
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