Tompkins County Couple Drowns While Swimming Near Waterfall

A Tompkins County couple is dead after being swept under a waterfall on the West Branch Cayuga Inlet in the Town of Newfield while swimming with children Monday, July 12.

Tompkins County Sheriff’s officials say 27-year-old Carissa Stone of Newfield and 29-year-old Michael Mayer of Van Etten drowned.

The couple’s 5-year-old child and two related 9-year-olds flagged down a motorist on Newfield Depot Road shortly after 6:30 Monday night. The children told the driver they were swimming with the two adults and Mayer and Stone were swept under the water by the current of the stream.

Deputies and first responders located Stone and Mayer and both were pronounced dead. Both deaths have been determined to be accidental.

Authorities are reminding people throughout the region to stay away from waterways and especially do not swim in rivers, creeks and streams that are swollen and running fast due to the heavy rain over the past several days.