Teen Girl Dies In Milwaukee After Being Pulled From Lake Michigan

MILWAUKEE, WI —A 16-year-old girl died Monday afternoon due to a suspected drowning in Lake Michigan near McKinley Marina, TMJ4 News reported.

Authorities have not released the name of the victim, but the Medical Examiner's office said an autopsy would be performed on Tuesday.

According to CBS 58, the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the scene at around 3:30 p.m., and rescue crew members spotted the victim 30 to 40 feet outside the breakwater.

The department had boats in the water just eight minutes after getting the 911 call, and rescue crews located the victim two minutes later, CBS 58 reported.

Fire department crews pulled the victim from the water, and they attempted lifesaving measures while the victim was on the rescue boat. However, lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, the MFD said.

According to CBS 58, authorities do not know how the victim got to the location where she was found, but officials said the water was "dangerously cold," likely in the upper 40s.

According to TMJ4 News, McKinley Beach has been closed since 2020 when three people drowned in the lake.

However, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project reported that at least two people have died at McKinley Beach this year.

Joel Rechlitz, battalion chief with the MFD, said the area near McKinley Beach remains dangerous.

"(Drownings) definitely (are) a concern for us because especially with Lake Michigan and the history here at McKinley, there are riptides," Rechlitz told CBS 58.