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8-12-2019 4:23pm
Saline Police: Woman Who Drowned at Mill Pond Park Died By Suicide
Saline Police say the woman who drowned in the Saline River at Mill Pond Park Friday died by suicide. Jezebel Lucas died Monday afternoon at an area hospital, Chief Jerrod Hart said.
She and her son crossed the Bowley Bridge while her husband and their dog visited the dog park Friday. Sometime around 2:30 p.m., Lucas became submerged in the river, just north of where the river meets the creek. Her son ran to the dog park for help. Lucas’s husband arrived and pulled her to shore and performed CPR, while screaming for help. Several people called 911. Saline firefighters and Huron Valley Ambulance EMTs attempted to revive her and they were able to produce a pulse. She was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in critical condition. She died shortly before 1 p.m. Monday.
“At this point, it appears this was a suicide,” Chief Hart said. “This is based on evidence on hand, including a hand-written communication from the deceased, interviews with the family, and with people in the park who witnessed some of the events.”
Witnesses include city Department of Public Works employees and a couple visiting the dog park.
“There’s no information we have that would suggest she got caught or snagged on something in the river. It appears to be an event she wanted to happen,” Hart said.
Hart said the medical examiner’s office will ultimately determine the cause and manner of death.
Lucas was a 32-year-old citizen of the United Kingdom who immigrated to the United States with her son.
Her husband’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for Lucas’s medical bills. That page includes text from husband’s Facebook page. In the text, he describes his wife’s worsening medical condition.
Saline Police continue to work on the investigation, tying up loose ends, according to Hart.
“I’m very pleased with the work Detective (Mike) King, Sgt. (Jay) Basso and the rest of the Saline Police Department did on this case. It was very important to conduct a very thorough investigation so that one day, anyone can pick up this case and have a good understanding of what happened, whether that person his the victim’s brother or mother, or whether it’s another police officer,” Hart said.
Lucas was unclothed when she was pulled from the river. Police and the Washtenaw County Underwater Search and Dive team searched for the river and shore for the dress she had been wearing. The dress was found on shore Saturday.
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