13 Year Old Boy’s Body Recovered From Kellen’s Ponderosa (Updated)

Authorities used a boat equipped with a sonar system to locate a 13 year old boy that presumably drowned at Kellen’s Ponderosa located south of Le Mars.

 

Updated: Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim from Saturday’s incident as 13-year old Reed M. Swaggerty-Morgan of Sioux City.

(Le Mars) — What was initially reported as a missing child turned into a presumed drowning. Rescuers were called Saturday afternoon to the Kellen Ponderosa, a private swimming pond, located about two miles south of Le Mars at 20384 county road K-49 at about 2:15 p.m. When authorities got to the scene, they learned a boy had been swimming in the pond with a friend out to a platform in the middle of the pond.  He was unaccounted  for several minutes.  According to witnesses on the scene, no one saw the 13 year old go under the water, but witnesses were able to provide an approximate last known location on where he was last seen swimming.   Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputies and officers of the Le Mars Police Department asked all patrons to pack up their belongings and clear the area. Members of the Plymouth County Dive Team and the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department were trying to locate the missing child in the pond. Later, a boat, owned by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and equipped with a sonar system was brought to the scene to assist rescuers in locating the 13 year old male victim. It was mentioned the boy was attending a birthday party. The side scan sonar was able to give an approximate location on where the child was within the pond.   Members of the Plymouth County Dive Team then searched the area, and they were able to recover the child in approximately 15 feet deep water.  At around 4:00 p.m. rescuers were able to recover the body. No names have been released.  The child was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare by the Le Mars Ambulance where he was pronounced deceased by medical staff.  The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the presumed drowning. This is the third weekend in a row, local rescuers have been called for a water rescue.  The past weeks involved kayakers on the Floyd River.  This time, authorities performed a recovery, as opposed to a rescue. Assisting at the scene were the Plymouth County Dive Team, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, Le Mars Police Department, Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, Le Mars Ambulance Services, Sioux County Dive Team, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa State Patrol.