A friend of Taylor told police at 4:40 p.m. that he’d been looking for his friend for about an hour before contacting staff for help.
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Northwest Fire and EMS contacted the Richmond Fire Department dive team for assistance. The dive team located the teen at 5:46 p.m., twelve minutes after entering the water.
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Taylor was a freshman at Richmond High School. Superintendent Todd Terrill released a statement today offering thoughts, prayers and condolences. Classmates are free to contact teacher’s, school counselors and administrative staff for support.
UPDATE @ 1:56 p.m. (May 29):
The identity of the 15-year-old Richmond, Indiana boy who drowned in a Preble County lake on Memorial Day, has been identified as Diante Taylor.
A final cause of death is pending while the Preble County coroner awaits autopsy results and toxicology tests.
FIRST REPORT:
A 15-year-old boy from Richmond, Indiana, died Memorial Day after apparently drowning at the Natural Springs Resort.
- Teen pronounced dead at scene
- He had been swimming with 2 friends from Richmond
- Victim's name not yet released
New Paris Police Chief Jeremy Schroeder said a 15-year-old boy’s body was recovered from the lake by a dive team from the Richmond, Indiana, fire department.
The juvenile, whose name has not been released, was at the resort and swimming with two friends.
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“We received a call of a missing juvenile after it was reported to the staff here at Natural Springs,” he said.
The chief said he had an officer at the venue within a couple minutes, but that it was his understanding there may have been a time lag as the boy’s friends tried to search for him.
People at the resort said the water was crowded with swimmers when the teen went missing.
It is not clear how long he had been in the water, the Preble County Sheriff’s Office said.
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“We just noticed it was very crowded and saw normal activity like people throwing each other off rafts, laughing and jumping. I could see how somebody could get hurt if they got hit in the head or went under the raft and nobody noticed because it was crowded,” said Tom Zwolski of Vandalia who was visiting the resort with family. “This is a horrible way to end a beautiful weekend.”
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Natural Springs Resort is at 500 S. Washington St. in the village of New Paris in Preble County, near the Ohio and Indiana border. According to its website, it is situated around a fresh water lake and offers swimming, diving from boards, scuba diving, water slides, fishing and a swimming pool in addition to camping at RV and tent sites and cabins.
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