U scientist killed at Pineview remembered by colleagues; police seek boat that hit her

PINEVIEW RESERVOIR — Esther Fugimoto was an accomplished scientist and researcher. But friends say her real passion was swimming.

Last year, Fugimoto, 49, swam 100 consecutive days at Pineview Reservoir.

"Rain or shine, as long as the temperatures (were bearable)," said Dr. Josh Bonkowsky, Fugimoto's supervisor with University Hospital's Department of Neurology and Anatomy.

Sunday, while Fugimoto was doing what she loved most, swimming in Pineview, she was hit and killed by a boater.

Detectives were asking Monday for the public's help in finding the person who hit and killed her. Fugimoto, who lived with her sister in Ogden, was swimming in Pineview about 8 p.m. when authorities believe she was hit by a boat about 200 to 300 feet from shore, said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Lowther.

A nearby resident heard her scream and got into his rowboat to row out to her and help, Lowther said. She suffered critical injuries to her abdomen and torso area, he said, consistent with a boat propeller.

The man with the rowboat hung onto Fuigmoto until rescuers arrived a short time later. They performed CPR in an attempt to save her, but she died as they reached the shore, Lowther said.

Investigators were looking Monday for a blue and white boat seen in the area. Lowther said the boater may not have seen Fugimoto initially, but should have stopped after hitting her.

"(The boater) would have known after he struck her," he said.

Monday afternoon, co-workers at University Hospital gathered in the hospital chapel to mourn the loss of their friend and remember her. Fugimoto had worked on and off at hospital since the 1990s. When she wasn't at the U., she was working at Utah State University.

Co-workers praised not only her intelligence and technical skills, but also her ability to take small pieces of DNA and make others understand the science behind what was being researched.

Fugimoto, a molecular biologist, was part of the team that discovered the BRCA1 gene in breast cancer. She also did research on cerebral palsy.

Bonkowsky said Fugimoto had a "heart of gold." Brooke Gaynes, a friend and colleague, remembered not only Fugimoto's kindness, but also her sarcasm. And she recalled how much Fugimoto loved to swim, especially in the outdoors.