The Lewis County Coroner’s Office has positively identified the man recovered from Riffe Lake on June 28 as Michael P. Miller, 36, of Randle.
The coroner’s office announced Wednesday that it determined Miller’s cause of death was fresh water drowning and the manner of death was accidental.
Deputies with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Riffe Lake for a report of a possible drowning at about 3 p.m. on June 27.
“Witnesses from two different vessels advised a 36-year-old male of Randle had attempted to swim to shore from an inoperative vessel,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. “They advised the male began to swim a short distance, but then appeared to be in distress. A boat providing a tow to the inoperative vessel disconnected and attempted to rescue the male, but they were unable to reach him in time.”
The first deputy to arrive was able to enter the lake on a private boat while other members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol were on the way.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team, assisted by the sheriff’s office marine patrol, searched for Miller until nightfall and resumed their search the next day.
They located and recovered Miller’s body just after 2 p.m. on June 28.
“Unfortunately, Lewis County is not a stranger to these types of tragedies and we would like to remind the public that while warm weather has finally arrived, the water within our lakes and other bodies of water remain cold and have a potential to be hazardous,” the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release following the incident.
Cold water shock is a physical response to sudden immersion in cold water that can occur in water up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, but is most common in water 59 degrees or colder.
When the body is immersed in cold water, there’s a large gasp followed by an increase in heart rate and faster breathing, which in itself can lead to drowning within the first three minutes of immersion, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. After three minutes — potentially less, depending on how cold the water is — the body begins to lose motor skills and experiences the onset of hypothermia and a loss of cognitive function. The act of swimming increases the body’s cooling rate by up to 40%, making those symptoms worse and decreasing the victim’s ability to rescue themselves.
