March 28, 2024

Iowa 2-year-old drowns during gathering on Wisconsin island

LANCASTER, Wis. (AP) — A 2-year-old Iowa girl drowned during an Independence Day family gathering on an island on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, authorities said Sunday.

Bryle Morgan, of Waterloo, died early Sunday at an Iowa City hospital, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin said in a statement.

According to the initial investigation, the child’s family was preparing for a group picture around 5 p.m. Saturday on an island in the backwaters on the Wisconsin side near Waupeton, Iowa. Bryle’s mother took her with her when she went back to the boat to retrieve an item.

“When the mother of the child got out of the boat, she noticed the child was missing and a search ensued,” Detective Rick Place said in the news release. “Moments later, the child was found under a boat in the water. The child was immediately pulled from the water and rescue efforts were started.”

Bryle was taken by boat to the Waupeton landing, then by ambulance to a Dubuque hospital. She was later flown to the Iowa City hospital.

Place said Bryle was wearing a life jacket before the incident, but it was removed before the group picture.

He said there was no indication of foul play, but the investigation is continuing.