Metro Atlanta woman drowns off Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Ga. — A Coweta County woman drowned Friday off Panama City Beach, the fourth person from metro Atlanta to die since mid-June at the popular tourist destination.

Carrie Cochran, 40, of Newnan, was on a rented pontoon boat with a man and two children, the Bay County Sheriff's Office told the Panama City News Herald. Cochran and the man decided to get in the water to swim.

The friend swam to shore when he heard Cochran yell that she couldn’t swim any longer and couldn’t pull herself back into the boat, the newspaper reported.

The children could not help Cochran get aboard. When the friend swam back and tried to help, she had passed out in the water, according to the sheriff’s office.

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Cochran was helped back on the boat and taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

It has been a deadly summer for North Georgians who have made the trek to Panama City Beach.

Eugene Spann, 67, of Atlanta, was declared dead after being pulled from the Gulf of Mexico on June 16. The body of Tony Jackson, 21, of Cartersville, was found the next day, about two hours after he was caught by a large wave.

And Mark William Huffman, 61, of Peachtree City, was pulled from the water behind Dunes of Panama on June 19, the News Herald reported.

Cox Media Group