Published: June 28, 2009 07:55 pm      

Two drown in LaGrange County Saturday

A 3-year-old Wakarusa girl and a Wolcottville woman drowned in separate incidents in Lagrange County Saturday.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Kennedy G. Stansbury, 3, was swimming in Cass Lake with friends and relatives shortly after 5:30 p.m. She was last seen near the water when it was discovered she was missing.

Stansbury was later located in approximately 4 feet of water at the end of the pier. CPR was performed and she was transported by Parkview EMS to Parkview LaGrange Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:31 p.m.

An autopsy was performed Sunday, and the cause and manner of death was ruled asphyxiation due to accidental drowning.

Cass Lake is located northwest of Shipshewana.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday, Kelly Smith, 41, Wolcottville, was playing frisbee at a Dallas Lake sandbar with the family dog when she swam out to deeper water to recover the frisbee. According to a DNR report, she began to have trouble swimming and went under the water’s surface.

Local resident Harold “Bud” Rea was able to dive down in approximately 12 to 16 feet of water and recover Smith. Smith was transported to shore to a waiting ambulance at approximately 5:08 p.m. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy was performed Sunday and death was ruled asphyxiation due to accidental drowning.

Dallas Lake is located northwest of Wolcottville.