A 26-year-old woman drowned in an irrigation canal between Powell and Cody on Saturday night, according to the Park County Sheriff's Office.

While the exact circumstances of her death are not known, the Sheriff's Office says Christine Fairbourn may have gone into the canal to try rescuing her dog.

Fairbourn — who's originally from Lyman — had attended a barbecue in the 200 block of Lane 16 that evening, Sheriff's Office spokesman Lance Mathess said in a Sunday news release. When she left the gathering for home, Fairbourn headed down Lane 16 with her dog running alongside her vehicle, the release said. About 20 minutes later, several other guests left the barbecue and found Fairbourn's vehicle sitting empty on Lane 16.

Mathess said the guests searched the area and, around 9 p.m., found Fairbourn floating in the canal. They pulled her from the water, called the Sheriff's Office and immediately began CPR, but they and emergency responders were unable to revive her, Mathess said.

Sheriff's deputies spotted canine and human footprints near the vehicle at the edge of the canal, Mathess said. There were no signs of any foul play.

"Deputies surmise that Fairbourn’s dog possibly fell into the canal first and that she entered the water in an attempt to rescue the dog," Mathess said. He said the dog had not been located as of midday Sunday.

Fairbourn had studied animal science at Northwest College. She listed Powell as her current residence on her Facebook page.

In a 2014 interview with the Northwest Trail, Fairbourn said her interests included just about anything involving the outdoors and playing with her dog.