Investigators: Exhaust Pipe Found Chewed By Animals In Girl's Boating Death
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has released more information on what may have led to a 7-year-old girl's death after boating on Lake Minnetonka.
According to the sheriff's office, 7-year-old Sophia Baechler fell ill Sunday while boating on Wayzata Bay. She had previously gone into the cabin below the deck to rest, and was found in distress about 10 minutes later.
Baechler was unresponsive and receiving CPR from the boat's occupants when paramedics reached the dock at 700 Lake St. East.
She was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, but emergency responders could not save her. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators with the sheriff's office say they found a hole in an exhaust pipe underneath the mattress area of the lower cabin area, which is consistent with animals chewing through the pipe.
On Oct. 13, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner confirmed the girl's death as being caused by carbon monoxide toxicity and her manner of death as an accident.
Funeral services are set for Friday.
