BENTON COUNTY, AR — Arkansas law enforcement is asking for the public’s help after a fatal boating accident on Beaver Lake left a swimmer dead near War Eagle Marina.
The collision happened around 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, according to officials. The victim was struck by a boat and later died from those injuries.
Authorities are now trying to piece together exactly what happened in the water and are looking for anyone who saw the incident or came upon the scene before emergency crews arrived.
Victim identified as Dr. Alla G. Barry of Joplin
Officials identified the victim as Dr. Alla G. Barry, 64, of Joplin, Missouri. She was swimming when she was hit by the boat, law enforcement said.
The brief notice released by authorities says Barry died after being struck, but it does not describe the full sequence of events leading up to the crash. No additional details about the boat or the people involved were included.
The incident has drawn an appeal for anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward so investigators can better understand the circumstances on the lake that evening.
Game and Fish Commission asks for help from witnesses
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is leading the request for information. Game Warden Levi Bingham is the point of contact for anyone who may have seen the accident or the moments before and after it.
Investigators specifically want to hear from people who were in the area around the time of the collision, anyone who directly witnessed it, and anyone who helped at the scene before emergency personnel arrived.
That kind of witness information can help officials confirm the timeline, identify what happened on the water and determine whether there were other people nearby who have not yet spoken with investigators.
How to contact investigators with information
Anyone with information is asked to contact Levi Bingham at 501-607-6770. Officials also said tips can be sent by email to Levi.Bingham@agfc.ar.gov.
Law enforcement has not publicly released further details about the boat, the operator or whether any enforcement action is expected. For now, the focus remains on gathering accounts from people who were near War Eagle Marina that afternoon.
Because the fatal crash involved a swimmer and took place on a busy lake area, investigators are treating even small observations as potentially useful.
Beaver Lake crash happened near a busy marina area
The accident took place in the vicinity of War Eagle Marina on Beaver Lake, a well-known boating area in Benton County. The location matters because officials are trying to narrow down who may have been close enough to see the collision unfold.
Authorities have only said the crash happened on the lake near the marina, not exactly how far from shore the swimmer was or how the boat struck the victim. Those unanswered questions are part of why investigators are asking for public help.
Anyone who was on the lake that evening, even briefly, could have information that helps reconstruct the incident.
Officials continue rebuilding the timeline of the fatal afternoon
The public notice suggests investigators are still in the information-gathering stage. They are seeking accounts from people who witnessed the accident, saw the immediate aftermath or assisted before first responders took over.
For families and investigators alike, those early moments often matter most in understanding how a fast-moving lake accident developed. Authorities have not released a fuller timeline, and no additional facts about possible contributing factors were included in the notice.
At this point, the call for witnesses is the main step forward as officials work to complete the picture of what happened on Beaver Lake.
What witnesses saw could be important to the investigation
Officials have not said what, if anything, caused the boat to strike the swimmer. They have also not described whether weather, visibility or traffic on the water played any role.
That leaves witness statements as the clearest path to more detail. Even a small observation about the boat’s location, speed or the number of people nearby could help investigators compare accounts and confirm the sequence of events.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is urging anyone with relevant information to speak up now, while memories of the Sept. 4 accident are still fresh.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
