CARLSBAD, N.M. — New Mexico State Police have identified the body of a man who died after being swept away by floodwaters in Carlsbad.
Police say it’s unclear why 63-year-old John Paul Koch drove past barricades and into rapid moving floodwaters over the roadway Tuesday. Koch’s vehicle overturned several times and was swept away in the Dark Canyon Draw Arroyo. Police say rescue efforts were unsuccessful because of the high volume and intensity of the flood.
Crews delayed recovering the body to wait for floodwaters to recede to a safe level for personnel to enter the water. Divers recovered the body around 7 p.m. Wednesday. It was sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque for an autopsy.