TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) – A father and his 4-year-old child died after drowning in separate incidents at a lake in Ohio.
Rangers responded to the scene at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Atwood Marina West.
Officials say a mother allegedly drove a golf cart into a lake with her family inside.
Two children, aged 15 and 18, got out of the water along with the mother.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office said the mother was allegedly making concerning statements about conversing with God.
Rangers say the crash looked intentional, and the woman is currently hospitalized with mental health concerns.
After an eight-hour search, rescuers discovered the body 4-year-old son in the lake, according to a release from the TCS. The sheriff said the 4-year-old was not in the golf cart, but the mother allegedly drowned them earlier in the morning.
Officials discovered the father was missing through conversations with the mother, who was “confused.”
Officials called off the search on Saturday night once it got dark.
The TCSO re-interviewed the mother and learned her husband left their home around 5:45 a.m. and did not return.
On Sunday, officials resumed the search with this new information and used sonar boats to try and locate the father. The boats recovered the body believed to be the missing 45-year-old father at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Both bodies were turned over to the coroner’s office for official identification.
Officials say the family, who are from Holmes County, was visiting the lake for the weekend.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office is c to investigate the incident.
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