Officials and community members have identified the three swimmers whose bodies were found Wednesday in the Vermillion River north of Red Wing.
Swimmers found in Vermillion River near Red Wing ID'd
Church laments deaths of three family members on the same day.
July 6, 2023 at 7:36PM
The Southern Minnesota Regional Examiner's Office on Thursday confirmed Ke Drer, 41, of Oakdale was one of three people found after they went under the water close to where the Vermillion converges with the Mississippi River.
In a social media post, the K'Nyaw Baptist Church identified the other two people as 22-year-old Miguel Juan Jose and 17-year-old Petrona Juan Jose.
"Our community is devastated by this tragic loss," church officials wrote. "And we asked that you pray for us and the family for a special strength [that] comes from God."
Law enforcement discovered their bodies around 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to a release from the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.
Their family gathered on an island in the Vermillion on Monday. One adult male was fishing from the shore while three others were swimming — but they began to struggle in an area where the water depth dropped off. The man dove in the water and saved a woman, then dove back in to attempt to rescue the other man and Petrona Juan Jose. The three disappeared under the surface and weren't seen until Wednesday.
All three were part of the same household.
Goodhue County received a 911 call around 7:35 p.m. Monday. Several local and state agencies began searching both rivers shortly after.
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