21-year-old woman pulled from Lake Tomahawk dies

Katherine (Katie) Ahern, the 21-year-old woman from North Carolina and also a Min-Aqua Bat, was pulled from the water near the Lake Tomahawk boat landing on June 10 after being submerged for nearly 20 minutes and has since died, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

Oneida County Sheriff’s Office captain Tim Johnson told The Lakeland Times a video camera at the boat landing captured what had happened when Ahern fell into the water while working for a local boat rental company.

He said Ahern can be seen on video at 8:42 a.m. standing up on the pier after tying off a boat and appearing to become dizzy right when she fell into the water. 

Johnson said she was in the water from 8:42 to 8:58 a.m. She was pulled from the water 16 minutes later after being discovered and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) began. 

He said she was taken to Howard Young Medical Center before being transferred to a Wausau area medical center for further treatment. 

The cause of Ahern’s fall into the lake remains under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials also said social media claims that Ahern was struck by lightning are false and not supported by any evidence from investigators.

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].