Woodbury Man Dies In Apparent Lake Elmo Drowning

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — A Woodbury man died last week in an apparent drowning after a canoe sank. On June 15 at about 11:13 a.m., the Washington County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call for a male underwater in Lake Jane, located in the city of Lake Elmo. Several fire rescue units and the Washington County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol responded.

Three adult males had been fishing in a canoe. An adult male was located and pronounced deceased on the scene.

The weather was windy and there were white caps on the lake, according to a news release. The canoe became flooded with water and sank. Authorities say only one person was wearing a life jacket.

A neighbor witnessed the distress and responded in his boat. He was able to get two of the parties on his boat but was unable to reach the third person in time. Alcohol did not appear to be involved in the incident, according to authorities.

The victim recovered from Lake Jane is identified as Ken Xiong, age 27 of Woodbury.

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