A 13-year-old girl drowned in a lake north of Bemidji over the weekend, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office said.
The girl had been swimming off a pontoon in Lake Julia, about 10 miles north of Bemidji, and had just removed her flotation device when she went underwater and did not resurface just after 5 p.m. Sunday, Beltrami County Chief Deputy Jarrett Walton said in a statement Monday.
Friends tried to find the girl but then called for help from emergency responders, Walton said.
Other boaters helped deputies search until more law enforcement and fire crews arrived with underwater detection equipment. The Lakes Area Dive Team also responded to the scene, Walton said.
The dive team found the girl's body just before 8 p.m. in 23 feet of water. Her remains were taken to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.
The girl was from the Fargo-Moorhead area and was visiting friends in the area, Walton's statement said.
