On Wednesday, July 9, a drowning was reported by on duty life guards at at City Beach at Lac La Belle. The Western Lakes Fire District and City of Oconomowoc Police Depart were immediately dispatched to the scene. After a thorough investigation, law enforcement determined that there was no evidence of a missing child and no evidence of a body was found throughout the teams’ thorough search of the water and surrounding area.
What Happened?
The problem began when lifeguards believed that they had spotted a young boy- estimated to be about 7 years old and wearing a pair of blue swim trunks- go underneath the water. However, they alleged that they didn’t see this boy resurface, which raised immediate alarm.
The on-duty lifeguards immediately began their water rescue procedures and called 911, alerting law enforcement authorities of the situation. The beach was entirely cleared out, including everyone swimming at the time. Lifeguards used a shoulder to shoulder technique, during which barricades of lifeguards stand beside one another and walk through the water to make sure that the entire area is clear.
The Western Lakes Fire District and the City of Oconomowoc Police Department were both quick to respond, each taking up different parts of the investigation while working in tandem.
The Western Lakes Fire District arrived on the scene with their full water rescue response teams and equipment ready. They Brough both rescue divers and rescue boats equipped with sonar technology to the beach to conduct a search and rescue.
Several divers got into the water, doing a thorough investigation of the entire area. The sonar boats and drones were also heavily involved in searching the area for the potential victim.
Throughout the investigation, no evidence of a body was found in the water.
The Oconomowoc Police Department also heavily assisted in the search and rescue mission, as they helped secure the beach and provided any additional equipment required. Throughout their interviews with witnesses, they determined that no children were missing from the beach or any of the surrounding areas of the park.
The combined results of these two teams’ investigations led to the conclusion that there was no missing child lost under the surface of the water.
The Western Lakes Fire District went on to say that it was a “better safe than sorry call”, and the swift action of the teams were applauded by Western Lakes Fire Chief Bradley Bowen.
