CHASKA, Minn. — Police say a 5-year-old child is dead after an apparent accidental drowning Saturday afternoon in a Chaska lake.
At about 4:30 p.m., Chaska police responded to a report of a missing child on the 800 block of Walnut Place. Police said the child was thought to have walked away on foot.
Several departments began a major search for the child, including with a drone, search and rescue dogs, a helicopter, and "extensive" searching on foot.
First responders found the child unconscious in the water of Brickyard Clayhole, police said. Lifesaving efforts were performed at the scene, but the child was taken to the hospital and declared dead from "what is believed to be an accidental drowning."
Police said the child's death is still under investigation.
“This was a tragedy,” Chaska Police Chief Ryan Seibert wrote in a news release posted to social media. “We all grieve when a life is lost, and our thoughts are with the family during this time.”
