Cause of lake death still undetermined

WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Investigators have not yet declared a cause of death for a 13-year-old who died while swimming at Lake Freeman on Sunday.

White County Coroner Mike Ott said he's still waiting on the pathologist's preliminary report.

"We have eyewitnesses of what happened. We do have an idea, a very good possibility it could be electrocution, but we want to make sure we're taking all considerations before a decision's made of the result of the death," said Indiana Conservation Officer Matt Tholen.

13-year-old Zachary Crays and three friends were swimming in Lake Freeman, when they started to feel a tingle. When he reached the dock, he fell back and was found face down near the boat lift.

Tholen said the situation serves as a warning for swimmers to be on the lookout for a similar situation.

"The best thing to do if you start feeling tingly is to try to get out of the water as soon as possible the best and quickest way you can," he said.

Tholen said the Carroll County REMC told him electricity can travel a long distance in a body of water. But how could an accident like this have been prevented?

"We're still trying to determine what happened, but I know if electricity is involved, the biggest thing is, follow the codes," Tholen said. "They're there for a reason, could be for safety, and hopefully that would take care of the problem."

Tholen said in his eight years on the job, he's never seen a case like this. But he said it's not unheard of.

"I have talked to the Carroll County REMC. They have said that this has happened in the past," he said. "Whether it was here in Carroll County or anywhere close, they didn't say. But it has happened, and my understanding is it happens more than we think. A lot of them have been determined as drownings, but possibly could be due to electricity."

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