Rough waters are being cited as playing a role in two 18-year-olds from Blaine drowning in a western Wisconsin lake.
Multiple agencies responded shortly after 5 p.m. Friday with air and water drones, underwater radar, boats and divers before locating Grace Rhine and Kyree Shaw in 15 to 20 feet of water in Lipsett Lake in Rusk, the Burnett County Sheriff's Office said Monday.
Lifesaving measures by emergency responders were unsuccessful, and both teens were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff's Office. A third person in the water was taken to a nearby emergency room and later released.
"There was a strong wind and choppy waters, which [are] believed to have contributed to the drownings," a statement from the Sheriff's Office read.
Shaw graduated from Spring Lake Park High School this past spring and was a member of the University of Wisconsin-Stout football team. Rhine was a 2023 graduate of Blaine High School.
"Kyree's charming nature won the hearts of many, young and old," wrote Tucker Olinger, an in-law, in a posting on an online fundraising campaign started on behalf of the family. "His beautiful smile was like a burst of sunshine and joy that you just couldn't get enough of, and his devoted love for family and friends was strong and steadfast."
