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A young Iowa bride suddenly became a widow on her honeymoon this week when her husband Dalton Cottrell drowned in Florida. The couple had only been married three days when the man died.
22 year-old Dalton Cottrell was with his new wife Cheyenne at a Florida beach on Tuesday when he got caught in a strong rip current that carried him further out into the deeper waters. Dalton struggled against the current before dissapearing beneath the water according to an incident report by the St. John's County Sheriff's Office.
According to the police report, Cheyenne told authorities that it was Dalton's first time being in the ocean and he “started to freak out”. Cheyenne tried to help her husband but he kept pulling her under the water. A lifeguard and a man from the beach swam out to help rescue Dalton and pulled him back to shore. By the time deputies arrived at the scene, a rescuer was performing CPR. He was transfered to local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Dalton Cottrell was studying to be pastor at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, where Cheyenne also is a student, the school said in a statement.
In a Facebook Post Cheyenne wrote that her husband's death has left her “in a state of shock”.
"3 days of wedded bliss turned into a nightmare. Yesterday afternoon while at the beach the Lord decided to call my husband Dalton to come home to Him. Never did I think at 22 would I be a wife and then a widow so quickly."
“I would like to encourage Eagle Nation to pray for, love, and support both Cheyenne and Dalton’s family,” Faith Baptist Bible President Jim Tillotson said in a statement on the school's website. “May we do all we can to support all of them through this difficult time.”
Cheyenne closed her post by asking for prayers during this difficult time. “Please pray for I and all families as we grief”.
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