Crime & Safety
Stillwater Teen Dies After Going Missing In St. Croix River: Sheriff
The 17-year-old went missing Thursday night while helping a friend who was struggling in the river, the sheriff's office said.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — A 17-year-old from Stillwater died early Friday morning, hours after he went missing in the St. Croix River while trying to help a friend out of the water, officials said.
Suleiman Ibrahim Abda Garado, a junior at Stillwater Area High School, was pulled from the river around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, about 40 minutes after he was last seen, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was taken to Regions Hospital, where he later died, the sheriff's office said.
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“The death of this young man is a devastating tragedy, and I extend my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry said in a release.
Deputies responded around 5:40 p.m. Thursday to the 2000 block of Riviera Avenue South in Lake St. Croix Beach after receiving reports that a juvenile “had gone under water while playing with friends," the sheriff's office said.
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Witnesses there told police that a group of friends was hanging out near the river when one of them started to struggle in the water, according to the sheriff's office.
Suleiman and several others pulled the teen to safety but Suleiman "never resurfaced," the sheriff's office said.
Rescue divers from Washington County found Suleiman just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s office said, adding he was underwater for about 40 minutes.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of Suleiman's death, which the sheriff's office said was a "suspected drowning."
Stillwater Area High School Principal Robert Bach sent a message to families Friday morning about Suleiman's death, asking them to keep his family in their thoughts.
"The death of a classmate, even for those who didn’t know them well, will impact each student differently and all reactions need to be addressed with great care and support," Bach said in a message sent before officials identified Suleiman.
Support staff and counselors were at Stillwater Area High School on Friday, Bach said, encouraging parents to talk to their children and "help them to process their feelings."
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