Minnesota teenager drowns while kayaking on western Wisconsin lake

He was kayaking with his brother when both overturned, officials said.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 12, 2024 at 2:29AM
Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office identified a Minnesota teenager who drowned over the weekend while kayaking at Kirby Lake, Wis. (Kirby Lake Management District)

Two brothers from Minneapolis who were kayaking overturned in a western Wisconsin lake, and one of them died, officials said Monday.

The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Kirby Lake, located about 7 miles northwest of Cumberland in Maple Lake Township, the Barron County Sheriff’s Office said.

Emiliano Alonzo Linaldi Enriquez, 17, was identified as the victim by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday.

Several callers to 911 reported hearing screams for help in connection with two people in the water after their kayaks overturned, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s deputies and emergency responders from numerous agencies responded to the scene, including Shell Lake Fire Department, which used sonar to search for Enriquez, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Divers from the Chetek Fire Department brought Enriquez out of the lake, and an air ambulance took him to HCMC. The Sheriff’s Office said it was told Sunday that the 17-year-old had died. The Sheriff’s Office said neither brother was wearing a life jacket.

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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