Woman Drowns On Saturday In Wilmington: Report

WILMINGTON, IL - A young woman from Normal drowned on Saturday in Wilmington. ABC Channel 7 reports that the 35-year-old woman had fallen off into the Kankakee River from a raft and subsequently drowned near the dam. The woman's name has not been released. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is investigating the death, Channel 7 reported.

The area near the Wilmington Dam has been the site of numerous drownings over the years. In 2016, on Memorial Day Weekend, two Joliet children drowned. Eder Arroyo, 12, was pulled underwater and his 13-year-old Abigail, jumped into the Kankakee River to try to save him, but was unsuccessful. Abigail was pronounced dead at a Joliet hospital.

Three days later, Eder's body was recovered about three-and-a-half miles downstream from the area of where he was last seen. Last October, a law firm representing the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Wilmington, contending their deaths were preventable. The family had been visiting South Island Park prior to the tragedy. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

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