DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — An 18-year-old from Danville died on Thursday after the county coroner and sheriff’s deputies said he drowned at Kickapoo State Park.
Vermilion County Coroner Jane McFadden identified the teen as Areno Woods of Oakwood. Sheriff’s deputies said Woods was fishing at a pond with his girlfriend and her three children at the time of his death.
The deputies said a bobber came off a fishing pole and Woods tried to retrieve it. While returning to shore, deputies said Woods had trouble swimming; another person tried to help him but could not reach him.
Divers from the sheriff’s department responded to the pond around 6 p.m. and found Wood’s body two hours later. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday.
“The sheriff’s department reminds the community that as water temperatures drop with the fall weather, even experienced swimmers can quickly have difficulty in cold water,” officials said in a statement. “Never enter a body of water without a life jacket and no personal possessions are worth risking your life.”
The Vermilion County Coroner and Sheriff’s Department are still investigating.
