Two fishermen drown in Kansas, apparently after falling through ice, sheriff says
Two Missouri fishermen died by drowning in southeast Kansas after apparently falling through ice.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said authorities began searching area strip pits Tuesday night after families reported two men had not come home following a day of fishing.
Deputies found their vehicle at around 1 a.m. Wednesday at Mined Wildlife Land #40, which is northwest of Columbus. Emergency crews later recovered two bodies from the water.
The men were identified as 70-year-old Robert Sleep and 71-year-old Stephen LeMasters, both of Joplin.
“The initial investigation indicates both men fell through ice and drowned,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.