Woman dies after falling through ice-covered pond in northeast Wichita

A woman died Sunday afternoon after falling through the ice on a pond in Chisholm Creek Park in northeast Wichita.

Wichita police Sgt. John Ryan said late Sunday afternoon that divers had recovered the body of the woman, who he said appeared to be between 25 and 30 years old.

“We still haven’t identified her for sure,” Ryan said.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the ice-covered pond, which sits at the north end of the park, north of K-96 and west of Woodlawn, just before 3 p.m. on Sunday, a Sedgwick County dispatcher said.

Ryan said the woman apparently was walking her dog when it veered off across the pond at the sight of another dog that also was being walked on the opposite side of the pond.

He said the dogs “scuffled” on the pond, and the woman went out on the ice to retrieve her dog.

“The owner tried to pull her dog out and fell through the ice,” he said. “She was quite a ways out here.”

He said at least one witness attempted to rescue the woman but was unsuccessful.

Divers from the Wichita and the Sedgwick County fire departments recovered the woman’s body from the bottom of the pond, said Wichita firefighter Paul Gonzales, a member of the dive rescue team.

Gonzales estimated the woman was found 70 to 85 feet from the shore. He said divers were able to determine where to start the search because of the woman’s dog, which also died.

“The dog was floating out in the water as we swam out,” Gonzales said.

He said he wasn’t certain exactly how long it took divers to find the body.

“Twenty-five to 30 minutes is what it felt like,” Gonzales said.

This story was originally published March 1, 2015 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Woman dies after falling through ice-covered pond in northeast Wichita."