Overview
- Police were first alerted at 9:07 a.m. Saturday by a report of a wet, distressed dog in the First Encounter Beach lot, which led officers to screams near Bee’s River.
- Two Eastham officers fell through thin ice during an attempted rescue but made it back to shore and were evaluated at Cape Cod Hospital.
- The Barnstable County Technical Rescue and Dive Team located the woman under the ice at 11:12 a.m. Saturday and pronounced her dead at the scene.
- Investigators believe the couple had been walking their dog and that the husband may have fallen through before officers arrived; State Police assigned to the Cape and Islands DA’s office are investigating.
- Crews resumed operations around 7 a.m. Sunday using a drone, halted the search around 9 a.m., plan to continue when ice conditions improve, and report the dog was recovered and reunited with extended family.