TV Top Chef Masters alum Naomi Pomeroy's body recovered after river tubing accident The celebrity chef was 49. By Raechal Shewfelt Published on July 18, 2024 09:52PM EDT The search is over for the body of Top Chef Masters alum Naomi Pomeroy. Oregon's Benton County Sheriff's Office announced late Wednesday on Facebook that Pomeroy had been found about 10 a.m. "on the Willamette River about a half mile upstream of Hyak Park between Corvallis and Albany." Top Chef Masters star Naomi Pomeroy dies in inner tube accident at 49 Naomi Pomeroy has died at 49. David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Bob Newhart, deadpan comedy legend and sitcom star, dies at 94 Pomeroy's body was seen by people canoeing nearby, and they called 911. "BCSO marine deputies arrived shortly after, located a deceased female on a shallow section of bedrock near the middle of the river with about one to two feet of water," the agency's statement read. "The female was identified as Naomi Pomeroy, missing since July 13, 2024. Deputies released Naomi to a funeral home and notified her family of the recovery." Celebrity deaths 2024: Remembering the stars we've lost this year Officials said Tuesday that the celebrity chef, who lived in Oregon, had died in a terrible accident while floating on the river with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and a friend. The agency said then that "an investigation by BCSO determined three adults recreating on tubes and a paddle board (two tubes were secured together and the paddle board was attached to Naomi), became entangled on an exposed snag in the water. One of the adults, Naomi, was pulled under the water and unable to free herself due to the paddleboard leash."Deputies were using sonar, drone, and underwater camera equipment, as they continued to search for signs of Pomeroy among heavy debris in the water. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. In addition to her 2011 run on Top Chef Masters, on which she placed fourth, Pomeroy was known for making appearances on the original Top Chef and on shows such as The Taste, American Masters, and Iron Chef America. Her claim to fame was her Portland restaurant Beast, where she won a prestigious James Beard Award in 2010, before it closed during the pandemic. Pomeroy went on to cook elsewhere. After she died, the Bravo show remembered her as "a powerhouse chef who made an indelible mark on the culinary industry."