Wheaton students among the victims of fatal boat accident in Lake Geneva, school district officials confirm

Wheaton school officials Wednesday confirmed that children who drowned in Geneva Lake in a massive storm Friday were students in its district.

“On behalf of Community Unit School District 200, our deepest condolences are with the family and friends of the children who died in a tragic boating incident in Lake Geneva on July 3,” a district spokesperson said. “We ask that you join us in supporting these families during this difficult time, and keep them in your thoughts as we all cope with this incredible loss.”

The children were among 10 people who were aboard a privately owned 25-foot 2024 Nautique P25 Friday afternoon as a massive storm swept into the region, capsizing the vessel and sending all the passengers overboard. Three children, ages 10, 7 and 6, were killed officials said. It is unclear how many were students in the Wheaton school district.

Authorities on Monday said the people aboard the boat that capsized Friday were from suburban Batavia and Wheaton, as well as the town of Fontana, Wisconsin, but authorities have not released the identities of the children

A spokesperson from the Batavia Public School District 101 said Tuesday it is aware of the boating accident but is “not confirming student information” out of “respect for the family’s privacy.”

“We are focused on supporting our students, staff, and families as they process this loss,” an emailed statement from the district said.

The Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency said in a news release Monday that the passengers ranged in ages from 6 to 75. Investigation records show that all the children on board the vessel were wearing life jackets of proper size and fit, authorities said.

They added that the man operating the boat had “extensive boating experience” and had sought shelter as the weather rolled in, but conditions deteriorated too quickly.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm brought winds between 90 and 100 mph to Walworth County, where Geneva Lake and the longtime vacation destination Lake Geneva are located. That’s roughly equivalent to winds that would come with a Category 2 hurricane.

Onlookers also drew comparisons between Friday’s storm and hurricanes in interviews with the Tribune, reporting six foot whitecaps and flipped-over boats amid “vicious” winds.

Julie Parsons Carani, who was vacationing at Geneva Lake on Friday, said she’d never seen weather come in so quickly — nor had she seen “so many people misjudge it and run out of time like that.”

“I see so many comments online about why didn’t they get to shore,” she said. “They have no idea. Everyone was taken by surprise.”

Carani, like others who witnessed the storm or the accident itself, was thinking of the children’s family as recovery efforts continued around Walworth County.

“It’s just awful,” she said. “I can’t imagine. My heart breaks for those people.”

In a news release Monday afternoon, authorities with the city of Lake Geneva and the neighboring town of Geneva said local leaders were working on a volunteer coordinator through Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lake Geneva so that people who wanted to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts could go where they were most needed.

Power was anticipated to come back on in the town of Geneva by 10 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.

• Aurora Beacon-News reporter Molly Morrow contributed.