Drone finds missing swimmer dead after sister searches for hours, Washington cops say
A drone found a 20-year-old woman’s body in a Washington lake hours after she disappeared while swimming with her sister, police said.
The woman’s body was found at about 1 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at Gissberg Twin Lakes Park in Marysville, about 35 miles north of Seattle, police said in a news release.
She was swimming at about 2 a.m. when her younger sister got out of the water, went back to their car to put the dogs away and grab clothes, police said.
The sister told police she heard splashing and thought her sibling was also getting out of the water.
But when she went back to the lake, she didn’t see her sister anywhere. She called a friend, and they began looking for the woman for about two hours until an officer ran into them, police said.
Police searched the park and couldn’t find the woman.
By the afternoon, a drone spotted her body “just outside of the marked swimming area” in 12 feet of water, police said.
Divers recovered her body, and she was taken to a medical examiner’s office.
At least 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and drowning is a leading cause of death for children.
Some factors can make drowning more likely, including not knowing how to swim, a lack of close supervision, not wearing a life jacket and drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance said there are tips to help keep you safe in the water, including checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.
“Don’t hesitate to get out of the water if something doesn’t feel right,” the group said on its website. “Whether it’s that the current is getting rough, rain has started to fall, or your body is just not responding like you would like it to due to fatigue or muscle cramps, then just leave and return to the water another day. It’s always a good thing to trust your instincts.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Drone finds missing swimmer dead after sister searches for hours, Washington cops say."
