Woman drove car into lake at East St. Louis park in apparent suicide, coroner says
Emergency first responders recovered the body of a woman who witnesses told police drove her SUV into a lake at Frank Holten State Park in East St. Louis.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. confirmed that the woman, a 28-year-old resident of Centreville, was pronounced dead at the scene, 5802 Lake Drive, at 9:07 p.m. Thursday. It is believed her death will be ruled a suicide, he said.
Due to the suspected nature of her death, the Belleville News-Democrat will not publish the woman’s name.
According to Illinois State Police, witnesses were fishing at about 7:18 p.m. when they saw the SUV enter the lake and sink below the surface.
A convoy of first responders arrived at the scene with boats and other rescue equipment. They spent more than five hours processing the scene, state police said. Midway Fire Department was the first to respond with mutual aid provided by Signal Hill, Swansea, and Belleville fire departments as well as St. Clair County Emergency Services.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, call the St. Clair County Emergency and Crisis Intervention Services at 618-482-7330 or the National Crisis Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.
