The Osage County Sheriff’s Office has reported that a 2-year-old girl drowned at Melvern Lake, Thursday evening, July 13, 2023.

In a press release today, Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells reported that a call came in around 8:58 p.m. Thursday about a possible drowning at the Eisenhower State Park swim beach. Life-saving measures had been started at the time of the call, but despite response from multiple area agencies, the little girl was pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim’s identity has not been released.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are jointly investigating the incident.

“The Osage County Sheriff’s Office would ask you to join us in our thoughts and prayer to the family and friends of the victim, as well as the first responders who responded to this tragic incident,” Wells said in the release.

In addition to OCSO and KDWPT, also responding to the scene were Osage County Fire District No. 2, Osage City, Osage County Fire District No. 3, Melvern, a LifeSave air ambulance from Emporia, and Osage County EMS.