Cottage Grove man drowns in St. Croix River

Friends told authorities that Keith Taylor, 66, dove off a pontoon parked at Kinnickinnic State Park and didn’t resurface.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 10, 2024 at 5:07PM

A man drowned in the St. Croix River on Sunday after diving off a pontoon boat, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Keith Taylor, 66, of Cottage Grove was with friends and family on a boat parked onshore at Kinnickinnic State Park, across the river from Afton, Minn. He dove off the boat’s diving board and did not immediately resurface, witnesses said. Friends and family pulled him from the water and started CPR. Authorities were notified at about 1:24 p.m. First responders arrived and continued CPR until Taylor was pronounced dead.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Allina EMS, the Prescott Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the River Falls Fire Department and Life Link III.

about the writer

Matt McKinney

Reporter

Matt McKinney is a reporter on the Star Tribune's state team. In 15 years at the Star Tribune, he has covered business, agriculture and crime. 

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