Boy Dies Following Drowning Near McGrath

The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office says that a 6-year-old boy died Sunday following a drowning at a lake in rural McGrath.

According to law enforcement, the boy was on a skating rink covered in snow next to a dock when he fell through around 1:30 p.m.

He was removed from waist-deep water by a family member and was reported to not be breathing. Multiple responding agencies used life-saving efforts, but the boy was ultimately declared dead at the hospital around 4 p.m.

The Sheriff's Office said that the recent snowfall caused issues. Responders need to use a snowmobile to transport the boy to an ambulance parked on a navigable road.

The boy's death has been confirmed as a freshwater drowning by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office.

The name of the child has not yet been released.