A Massachusetts woman has tragically died after plunging through the ice of a frozen river near a Cape Cod beach while walking her dog with her husband, who remains missing following the harrowing incident. Eastham police and search teams believe the unidentified couple were walking their dog on Bee's River when they broke through the thin ice, leading to a desperate rescue operation that saw two officers also fall into the freezing waters.
Chaotic Rescue Attempt Unfolds
Police arrived at First Encounter Beach on Saturday morning at 9:07am after receiving a report about a loose dog that appeared wet and in distress. The first officer to arrive immediately heard the screams of a woman coming from Bee's River and attempted to pull her from the icy water, only to fall through the ice himself in the process.
A second officer then tried to rescue both the woman and his colleague, but he too fell into the frigid water that reached his waist, according to a joint press release issued by the Eastham Police Department and the Eastham Fire Department. Amid this chaotic scene, the Eastham Fire Department arrived and managed to safely extract both officers from the river, transporting them to hospital for treatment.
Woman Found Trapped Under Ice
It remains unclear whether the officers became separated from the woman during the rescue attempt or if she had already slipped beneath the ice surface. Divers from the Barnstable County Technical Rescue Team eventually arrived on the scene to search for the missing woman.
At 11:12am, divers located the woman trapped underneath the ice. She was pronounced dead at the scene, marking a tragic conclusion to the morning's events. Rescue teams had shown up at Bee's River near Eastham, Massachusetts, in a determined effort to save the woman, but despite their best efforts, she could not be saved.
Search Continues for Missing Husband
While the dive team had been searching for the woman, investigators pieced together that her husband had been with her and likely fell through the ice alongside her. The technical rescue team continues to search for the missing husband, according to an official release from the Eastham Police Department.
'The area is still an active scene, and the public should avoid the area,' the department stated in their announcement. The identities of both the deceased woman and the missing man are being withheld until their families can be properly notified, police confirmed.
Critical Ice Safety Information
The tragic incident highlights the dangers of walking on frozen bodies of water. Ice that appears light gray or dark black typically indicates melting conditions and cannot support significant weight, making it unsafe for walking.
According to safety guidelines, blue or clear ice that measures more than four inches thick is generally considered safe for walking. However, experts emphasize that no matter what color the ice appears or how confident you feel about its strength, you should always check the thickness using proper tools.
'No matter what color the ice is or how sure you are of the strength, you should check by using an auger, chisel, or an axe to determine that it is at least 4-6 inches thick,' advises the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. This precaution could prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
