RICE LAKE, Wis. — A little girl reported missing late Sunday night in Rice Lake, Wisconsin is dead after apparently wandering into the Red Cedar River.
Rice Lake Police say dispatchers were notified just after 9:30 p.m. that the front door of a residence was found open, and the 2-year-old had apparently wandered off. The caller told police she could have been gone for up to 30 minutes.
Officers, fire and EMS personnel and resident volunteers immediately began an urgent search, with K-9 dogs and a drone also called in to help locate the child.
Sadly, around 10:55 p.m. an officer using a thermal imaging tool found the toddler unresponsive in the Red Cedar River. First responders began lifesaving measures, but they were unsuccessful. The little girl was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Later Monday in a Facebook post Rice Lake Police thanked those in the community who helped in the search, or did what they could to help a family in need.
"All of us at Rice Lake Police Department would like to offer our condolences and kind thoughts to the family and friends of the beautiful little girl from last nights incident. We know she will be dearly missed by all who knew her and our community is a little less today without her," the post read. "We would also like to thank the Barron County Sheriff's Department, Rice Lake Fire Department, Lakeview Ambulance, all the first responders, and especially all the citizen volunteers who showed up to assist in the search last night."
RELATED: Missing Eagan man located safe
