A Walworth County man died Thursday afternoon after he was found floating near an overturned kayak on Lake Ivanhoe, despite wearing a life jacket, authorities said. Rescuers pulled him from the water and tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead around 4:53 p.m. June 25. Officials have not yet released his name as the sheriff’s office works to piece together what happened.
How The Rescue Unfolded
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walworth County sheriff’s deputies and the Bloomfield Police Department rushed to Lake Ivanhoe after a caller reported an upside-down kayak on the water. The kayak was spotted about 150 yards off the lakeshore. Deputies then found a man floating nearby, and a county water-rescue team brought him to shore.
Investigators outlined the response in a sheriff’s office news release, the paper reported, but have not publicly detailed what led up to the kayak flipping.
A Worrying Local Pattern
The Lake Ivanhoe death comes on the heels of another tragedy on area waters. FOX6 Milwaukee reported that the body of an 18-year-old Pewaukee man was recovered from Okauchee Lake after searches that started the night of June 19 and continued into the morning of June 20.
That recovery involved Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wardens, county dive teams and sonar equipment, a sobering reminder of how fast a routine day on the lake can turn into a fatal emergency.
About Lake Ivanhoe
Lake Ivanhoe is a small, roughly 46-acre lake in the Town of Bloomfield. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources maintains a lake facts page that lists its size, depth and boat-landing information. DNR materials note that the lake supports panfish and largemouth bass and has a public launch.
The neighborhood that hugs the shoreline has its own distinct identity. TMJ4 recently reported on plans to mark the community’s centennial, underscoring that this is a tight-knit place where the lake is part of daily life, even as officials investigate a death on its waters.
Investigation Ongoing
The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and Bloomfield police say they are investigating the drowning and have asked anyone with information or video from the area to contact investigators, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The sheriff’s office has not released the victim’s name while the probe continues.
