advertisement

Eight suburban drownings in 2014

• June 8 - A 49-year-old Melrose Park man drowned on Pistakee Lake near Johnsburg. Authorities say William Trybula was boating on the lake when friends when they decided to jump in for a swim. Trybula disappeared under the water after he and his friends were separated.

• June 14 - Four-year-old Paulino F. Delle Grazie of St. Charles drowned in a swimming pool at the Royal Fox Country Club. in St. Charles. Police called the boy's death a "personal tragedy."

• June 18 - A 6-year-old boy from South suburban Justice drowned in a public swimming pool in Bridgewater. Police said Michale Duda was at the pool as part of a park district summer camp program.

• June 22 - An 86-year-old South Barrington woman fell into her family's pool and drowned in what police called a "terrible, tragic accident." Authorities believe Betty Stas was out for a walk around the pool on a nice day and slipped or fell in.

• June 29 - Bertil Sollenskog, 77, was found unresponsive at the bottom of his swimming pool in Lake Villa. Authorities said an autopsy confirmed that Sollenskog drowned.

• July 20 - Emanuel Mendieta-Ramirez of Mount Prospect drowns while he and a friend attempted to swim to an island in the Fox River in Carpentersville. Authorities say the 27-year-old struggled in the river's strong current before going under water.

• July 21 - Matt Reed drowns in Third Lake during a day of swimming and boating with friends. Authorities say the 16-year-old from Grayslake was in the water for about five minutes before he began struggling.

• July 22 - Karen Wessel, 47, a single mother of two, died Tuesday after jumping into a northern Wisconsin lake to save the 9-year-old godson of her friend. Three children, one her own, were struggling while swimming from a sandbar back to the shore of Star Lake.

Arlington Heights mom dies saving boy in Wisconsin lake

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.