“He protected me to no end,” Benny Sutton Jr.’s sister said

NEED TO KNOW

• Benny Sutton Jr., 63, an employee at Castle Hot Springs resort, went missing on Nov. 1 after he drove to work
• His vehicle was found washed away about 2 miles downstream from the resort
• Authorities found Sutton’s body five days later

A missing 63-year-old resort worker whose truck was discovered in rushing floodwaters in Arizona has been found dead. 

Despite search efforts, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said that the body of Benny Sutton Jr. was found on Friday, Nov. 6, five days after he vanished.

“On Friday morning, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, utilizing its Lake Patrol teams, located Mr. Sutton deceased,” the sheriff’s office said. 

Sutton, an employee at Castle Hot Springs in Morristown, Ariz., left home to report to work on Nov. 1 but never showed up, according to officials.

But at the time, severe weather hit the Southwest, with heavy rainfall causing flash flooding, according to the Associated Press. Two deaths had already been attributed to the bad weather before Sutton’s death, The Arizona Republic reported.

Sutton’s truck was discovered fully submerged about 2 miles downstream from the resort, according to the sheriff’s office.

During the first two days of search efforts for Sutton, authorities said teams “spent 16 to 18 hours investigating every object” they could, but “possible minor clues” had been found so far.

Cheryl Compton, Sutton’s sister, told local affiliate KTVT on Sunday, Nov. 8, that her brother had wanted to get a head start on the workweek when he headed to work on Nov. 1. She remembered him as a jack of all trades. 

“He could do anything,” Compton said. “He could build anything. You could put something in my brother’s head and he could take a piece of wood and make it work.” 

“He protected me to no end. With him and my husband, I had no fear,” she added.

Compton also said Sutton had a 19-year-old daughter. She expressed her thanks to the officials who searched for her brother, and offered a warning to other drivers considering crossing washes. 

“Just stay home,” she told KTVT. “Do your family a favor and stay home. Please.”

PEOPLE contacted Castle Hot Springs on Monday, Nov. 9, but did not receive an immediate comment.

In an interview with Fox affiliate KSAZ, Kevin Maguire, the manager of the resort, described Sutton as the “epitome of a friend.”

“From the top of the property at the hot springs all the way to the archery and axe throwing range, he built things, and he took everyone’s ideas, and he was able to turn people’s ideas and concepts into reality,” recalled Maguire.

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In its announcement about the resort worker’s death, the sheriff’s office offered its condolences to Sutton’s family, friends and coworkers.

“I would like to express our immense gratitude to the many dedicated Yavapai Search and Rescue volunteers and others who spent days tirelessly searching for him,” Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes said in a statement.

“We are profoundly grateful to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Peoria P.D. air division and other partner agencies for their vital assistance throughout this operation,” he added.

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