By AP
Tahlequah, OK – 2 drown in Illinois River in eastern Oklahoma
TULSA, Okla. (AP) Authorities say two Oklahomans have drowned in the Illinois River despite warnings about high water levels.
Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission Administrator Ed Fite says 24-year-old Kristina Singleton of Perkins was thrown from a raft about 1 p.m. Saturday after it washed up on a fallen tree. Witnesses told authorities Singleton wasn't wearing a life jacket.
Commission Lt. Stephanie Stephens says 22-year-old Dustin Toddy of Watts has been missing since attempting a back flip from the Lake Frances Dam. Stephens says Toddy "got caught in the boil of the dam" and surfaced for about 30 to 45 seconds before going back under water.
The commission warned on its website Friday that water levels and flows in the eastern Oklahoma river were high for this time of year and urged caution.