BURNETT COUNTY, Wis. — Officials in Wisconsin believe bad weather may have contributed to the drowning deaths of two 18-year-olds from Blaine last week.
In a Facebook post Monday, the Burnett County Sheriff's Office said rescue crews from nearly a dozen agencies responded to Lipsett Lake in Rusk, Wisconsin on Friday, Sept. 1 to help search for two missing swimmers.
Using air and water drones, underwater radar, boats and divers, first responders eventually located the two young adults, identified as Grace Rhine and Kyree Shaw, in 15 to 20 feet of water.
According to Sheriff Tracy Finch, both were declared dead at the scene. A third person was transported to the Spooner, Wisconsin emergency room and was eventually released.
The department said strong wind and choppy waters are believed to have contributed to the drownings.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating.
Meanwhile, on the first day of school at Spring Lake Park High School, teacher Marissa Olinger still goes on — even when grieving her brother.
"For my husband and I to be here on this first day of school and to be able to go through that grieving process with other people who cared so much about him, and were so instrumental in helping him get to who he was, that's something we knew we wanted to do," Olinger said.
Olinger said Kyree was always surrounded by love, and also generous with it.
"I used to always tell him that walking in the halls at the school, I used to feel cool next to him," she said. "Everyone loved talking to him and hanging out with him and he really just cared so much about anyone he came into contact with."
Olinger said Kyree had just moved into UW-Stout to start football camp a few weeks ago. He was on a brief break for the long weekend and Olinger said he had spent it on Lipsett Lake with a few of his friends and his girlfriend.
"There were four kids out there. The boat did start to float away because of the waves," Olinger said. "One made it back to the boat; one of the kids was pulled out by someone on a Jet Ski and then Kyree and his current girlfriend were already gone at that point."
The Burnett County Sheriff's Office identified Kyree's girlfriend as Grace Rhine. Rhine's father has asked for privacy on social media.
Because Kyree was loved, and Kyree loved the school so much, Olinger said she's hoping to set up a scholarship fund in his name.
"Just continue to remind people to kind of live things out for him because he's got a whole group of friends that are just starting college today," she said. "And just kind of that reminder that, yes, it's hard to think about doing this, and he doesn't get the chance to, but also remember to do it for him."
A GoFundMe page created on behalf of Kyree Shaw and his family said the funds raised are not just for funeral expenses, but also toward the scholarship fund.
"Kyree’s charming nature won the hearts of many, young and old. His beautiful smile was like a burst of sunshine and joy that you just couldn’t get enough of, and his devoted love for family and friends was strong and steadfast," the fundraiser said.
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