Body of “Top Chef Masters” alumna Naomi Pomeroy recovered after accident

The search for the body of Top chef Graduate Naomi Pomeroy.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon announced on Facebook late Wednesday that Pomeroy was found around 10 a.m. “on the Willamette River, about a half-mile upstream from Hyak Park between Corvallis and Albany.”

Pomeroy’s body was seen by people canoeing nearby and they called 911.

“Shortly thereafter, BCSO marine officers arrived and located a dead woman on a shallow section of bedrock in the middle of the river where the water was approximately 12 to 24 inches deep,” the agency’s statement said. “The woman was identified as Naomi Pomeroy, who has been missing since July 13, 2024. Officers transported Naomi to a funeral home and notified her family of the recovery.”

Officials said Tuesday that the Oregon-based celebrity chef died in a horrific accident while floating on the river with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and a friend.

The agency stated at the time that “a BCSO investigation revealed that three adults traveling on inner tubes and a paddleboard (two inner tubes were attached to each other and the paddleboard was attached to Naomi) became entangled on an exposed obstruction in the water. One of the adults, Naomi, was pulled underwater and was unable to free herself due to the paddleboard leash.”

Officers used sonar, drone and underwater camera equipment as they continued to search for signs of Pomeroy among the heavy debris in the water.

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In addition to her 2011 run on Top chefwhere she finished fourth, Pomeroy was known for her performances on the original Top chef and in shows like The taste, American MastersAnd Iron Chef AmericaShe became famous through her restaurant Beast in Portland, where she won a prestigious James Beard Award in 2010 before it closed during the pandemic. Pomeroy cooked elsewhere from then on.

After her death, the Bravo show remembered her as “an outstanding chef who left a lasting mark on the culinary industry.”