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Boca Raton couple drowned in boating accident, medical examiner says

Boater finds bodies floating in water, calls 911, report reveals
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge sign
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Boca Raton couple drowned in what is being called a boating accident at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

Archer Adams III and his wife, Paula Adams, both 76, accidentally drowned Saturday, Paul Petrino, operations manager for the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner Office, said Tuesday.

The Adamses were boating or fishing on their 15-foot Gheenoe motorboat when they somehow ended up in the water, according to a preliminary report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"A passing boater saw their empty vessel and located them floating in the water," the report said.

The boater called 911, but it was too late. Coral Springs fire-rescue crews arrived and pronounced the victims dead at the scene.