What should have been a summer afternoon at a popular riverfront park on Detroit’s east side turned tragic Saturday when a girl drowned after entering the water at Maheras-Gentry Park, authorities said.
Rescue crews were called to the park after reports that two girls had gone into the water. First responders searched both the park’s lagoon and the nearby Detroit River. One girl was pulled from the water and is OK, according to police, while the other did not resurface and was later recovered. Detroit police said names and ages were not immediately released as investigators continued to examine the scene, as reported by The Detroit News.
Rescue Crews Combed Lagoon and River
Fifth Precinct Commander Lawrence Purifoy said the city’s dive team, the Coast Guard, the Detroit Fire Department and the harbor master all joined the desperate search in the water. What began as a race to save a life soon shifted into a recovery operation.
"Unfortunately, our rescue efforts turned into a recovery effort," Purifoy said. He added that "our prayers go out to her friends and family," according to The Detroit News.
Maheras-Gentry Is a Large Riverfront Park
Maheras-Gentry Park stretches across 53 acres on Detroit’s eastern riverfront. The park features ball diamonds, playgrounds, a lagoon and a pedestrian bridge that spans a small island. The City of Detroit lists the park’s address as 12550 Avondale St and highlights recent habitat and accessibility upgrades, including an embankment slide and new trails, according to the City of Detroit.
Past Drownings and Broader Risks
The waters around Maheras-Gentry Park have seen tragedy before. In 2021, neighbors mourned a 15-year-old who drowned in a nearby canal on Detroit’s east side, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Drownings in the Great Lakes and connected waterways remain a seasonal hazard, and nonprofit tracker the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project records dozens of Great Lakes drownings each year and hundreds since 2010.
Officials say the investigation into the girl’s death is ongoing and that the medical examiner will determine the cause. Authorities said the community has been left shaken by the loss as family members and neighbors mourn.
