A 72-year-old Tucson man who was visiting friends in the Safford area died of a sudden heart attack Tuesday morning at Riggs Lake. The man wanted to go fishing before returning to Tucson and went to the Lake with a couple of friends. The man began complaining of chest pains almost immediately after the party arrived at the lake. The man asked for help getting to the restroom but then collapsed.
An off-duty deputy with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office heard a woman yelling for help and saw the man laying on the ground. He and others performed CPR while the woman tried to locate a spot with cell service to call 911. It took over an hour for emergency personnel to get to the scene and by that time the man was cold to the touch.
According to the man’s friends, he had no family. He was an only child and his parents were dead. He had never married and did not have any children. The man apparently had several health problems and had a pacemaker.
