RHINELANDER, Wis. (WSAU) -- A toddler drowned east of Rhinelander Saturday.
Oneida County authorities were called to a home in the Town of Pelican east of Rhinelander at about 1:30 p.m. by a mother that couldn’t locate her 15-month-old child. Sheriff’s Lieutenant Lloyd Gauthier says the parent was outside with two children, and ran inside long enough to move laundry from the washer to the dryer. When she returned, the younger child could not be found
The Pelican River runs along the backyard of the residence. Oneida County Sheriff’s deputies were joined by their dive team, emergency medical services, search dogs, Rhinelander police, and firefighters from Pelican and Newbold fire departments. A sheriff’s deputy found the child in the river downstream at 2:05 p.m. Gauthier says the child was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital, but could not be revived.
The child was pronounced dead at 3:03 p.m. Deputies and the Oneida County Medical Examiner are continuing their investigation.