A 2-year-old girl missing for nearly two hours in northwestern Wisconsin was found unresponsive in a river and declared dead soon after, authorities said Monday.
Police in Rice Lake, about 10 miles north of Barron, said they were alerted about 9:30 p.m. Sunday that the child had been missing for about 30 minutes from a home west of the Red Cedar River, where the front door was open.
Officers were joined by fire and emergency medical personnel and volunteers in the search for the girl, police said. A drone and K-9 units were also dispatched.
Shortly before 11 p.m., an officer using a thermal imaging device located the girl in the river, police said.
She was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful.
The girl's identity has yet to be released.
Paul Walsh
