Texas woman accidentally fell off boat in Lake Tahoe and drowned, sheriff’s officials say
Authorities on Monday released the name of a 30-year-old El Paso, Texas woman who drowned after accidentally falling into the cold water of Lake Tahoe without a life vest Friday evening, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
Daisy Rogers was pronounced dead after crews could not resuscitate her, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Eric Guevin has said. She likely went into shock from the water’s cold temperature, which is around 62 degrees this time of year.
Rogers and a man were on a boat with six children on Lake Tahoe near Zephyr Cove, when the incident occurred, according to Guevin.
The Sheriff’s Office was notified about the drowning shortly before 7 p.m. Friday. Rogers was in the boat traveling back to South Lake Tahoe from Emerald Bay, Sgt. Anthony Prencipe, a sheriff’s spokesman said in a news release.
Rogers went to the back of the boat and accidentally fell off, and another adult on the boat tried to save her, Prencipe said.
Guevin has said the man, wearing a life vest, dove into the water to save her.
The boat then started drifting away, stranding the children on the boat and the adults in the water, Guevin said. The Fire Protection District responded to a 911 call believed to be made by someone who heard the children yelling for help.
The district’s rescue boat found the stranded vessel several miles away. The children were plucked off the boat and were uninjured, Guevin said.
Crews rescued the man several miles away. He had been in the water for over an hour, and transported him to Barton Hospital for severe hypothermia. He was listed Friday night in critical condition, officials have said.
The Sheriff’s Office on Monday did not release any further information about the man hospitalized.
A U.S. Coast Guard crew found Rogers about 9:20 p.m. Friday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. She was taken to Barton Hospital while life-saving efforts were attempted. Prencipe said she was later pronounced dead.
The Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate the drowning Monday.
“At this time, there is no evidence of foul play and there is no criminal investigation,” Prencipe said in the news release.
Guevin has said the woman was the mother of some of the children, part of a blended family, but authorities did not immediately know the relationships between the people involved and ages of the children.
Cheri Luann Tate Monize on Saturday wrote in a Facebook post that Rogers was the daughter they always wanted.
“Life brings so many joys and sorrows yesterday our Daisy drowned in Lake Tahoe... our hearts are broken,” Monize wrote in her Facebook post. “Having to be strong for our grandbabies is so hard.”
