St. Croix River Missing Boat Incident: 1 Dead, 2 Injured

A 24-year-old woman is dead and two are injured, including a Hastings, Minnesota man, after their boat went missing on the St. Croix River Sunday. On June 25, the St. Croix Sheriff's Office was called to check the status of a boat on the St. Croix River.

The occupants of the boat were going to a camp at a beach Saturday night on June 24, but police were notified that nobody was able to reach them. St. Croix County and Washington County water patrols began to search for the boat, and were able to locate it at the "Highline Beach" area about 15 minutes after the initial police call.

Highlight Beach is located in the Town of St. Joseph, directly across the river from the Xcel Power Plant in Bayport, Minnesota. The beach is only accessible by boat or a private road, according to a news release.

The boat was occupied by Justin M. Roskos, 25, of Hastings, Minnesota, and Hayden L. Johnson, 27, of River Falls, Wisconsin. They were located and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ashley G. Speer, 24, of Glenwood City was pronounced dead at the scene by the St. Croix County Medical Examiner's Office.

The initial investigation into this incident reveals that this is a probable carbon monoxide poisoning incident, however the investigation is ongoing. The boat was a 34-foot long 1989 Wellcraft pleasaure boat and was registered to Roskos.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available by authorities.

Scott Anderson (Patch Staff) contributed to this report.

Image via Google Streetview