A 61-year-old man drowned June 29 in his home’s hot tub in Palo Brea, marking the city’s first backyard drowning of the year.

Relatives say John W. Marr Jr., who lived in Palo Brea since 2020, was a family man, veteran, entrepreneur, mentor, hockey fanatic and walking encyclopedia.

“John proudly served in the military and carried that same sense of duty, loyalty and strength throughout his life,” said relatives of Marr, who had four sons. “Whether he was sharing a random historical fact, mentoring someone in the community or cheering on his favorite hockey team, he did everything with passion and heart.”

Medical examiners say Marr had THC in his system the night of June 29.

The drowning left the family “emotionally and financially unprepared.” They called the tragedy an “unexpected burden.” But water is a silent and perennial killer in Maricopa. That’s why the Maricopa Fire and Medical Department and the Maricopa Water Safety Coalition are hosting a Water Safety Day at Copper Sky Aquatic Center this weekend to raise awareness, educate families and provide lifesaving water safety tools to the community.

The drowning is among eight reported countywide so far in 2025, one more than the seven recorded by mid-July 2024. Last summer, four of those drownings occurred in and around Maricopa, including a 1-year-old in Stanfield and a 47-year-old landscaper at a Rancho El Dorado home.

Drowning is an indiscriminate killer. In 2025, the youngest victim was a 1-year-old Black boy in Casa Grande; the oldest, a 96-year-old white man in Saddlebrooke.

But there is one factor that shows up again and again in fatal cases: alcohol and drug use.

PCMEO Division Manager Andre Davis said 1 in 3 drowning deaths between January and July last year “were under the influence of alcohol (legally intoxicated) at the time of the fatal incident.” This year, one person tested positive for THC but toxicology reports “returned negative results for ethyl alcohol.”

Heat deaths drop 33% amid cooler summer

What about the Sonoran Desert’s more ruthless summertime killer? 

Perhaps due to lower temperatures this summer, Pinal County has seen fewer heat-related deaths as drownings have held steady. Since late March, 14 people have died from heat exposure, according to PCMEO. The first occurred March 25, when an 80-year-old Apache Junction woman succumbed to the heat.

No heat-related deaths have been recorded in Maricopa so far this year, but Davis warned that additional cases could still be confirmed.

“Unfortunately, I do expect the number of heat-related deaths to increase, as these results are received and analyzed by our forensic pathologists,” Davis told InMaricopa today.

After a grueling hot 2024, PCMEO recorded its deadliest year for heat-related deaths in the county with a total of 35 deaths. Compared to this time last year, 2025 has seen 33% fewer cases where heat exposure was listed as an immediate or contributing cause.

“This is likely due to the relatively cooler temperatures following last summer, when there were 70 days at or above 110 degrees,” Davis said. This year, the county has recorded only seven days that reached 110 degrees or higher.

The majority of heat deaths this year occurred in the week following Independence Day, claiming seven victims aged 46 to 78. The deadliest single day was June 12, when three older adults died in Apache Junction and Coolidge.

Emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses — often a predictor of fatalities — total 169 so far this year. Last year, the county saw 366 visits 324 in 2023, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.