Boyfriend and girlfriend — both 18 — drown in rough water in Wisconsin lake, cops say

A couple who recently graduated from high school drowned while swimming in a Wisconsin lake, authorities said.

Grace Rhine and Kyree Shaw, both 18 and from Blaine, Minnesota, were swimming in Lipsett Lake on Friday, Sept. 1, when they went missing, according to the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office.

First responders used drones, underwater radar and divers in their search for the swimmers, who were found in 15 to 20 feet of water, the sheriff’s office said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The drownings are believed to have been caused by strong wind and choppy waters, authorities said. A third swimmer was hospitalized and released.

Scott Rhine, Kyree’s father, said in a Facebook post that his daughter and Shaw were girlfriend and boyfriend. They graduated from high school earlier this year.

Social media posts indicate Rhine was a dancer at the Fancy Dancin studio.

“I loved watching you dance on stage and seeing you grow as a person and as a dancer into this beautiful, mature young woman that was ready to take on the world,” Rhine’s best friend, Lexy Hirschey, said in a Facebook post.

Shaw was a two-sport athlete at his high school and had committed to play football for the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

“Kyree’s charming nature won the hearts of many, young and old,” loved ones said in a GoFundMe. “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.”

Lipsett Lake is in western Wisconsin about 120 miles northeast of Minneapolis.

This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 6:11 AM with the headline "Boyfriend and girlfriend — both 18 — drown in rough water in Wisconsin lake, cops say."