Narragansett, Rhode Island — A Great Barrington teenager died Wednesday (July 15) after going missing for several hours in the rough waters off Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Narragansett police say that 14-year-old Maia Stanton, who lives with her mother, Erin Lore, in Great Barrington, was snorkeling with her father, Jeremy Stanton of Southfield, when he noticed her missing and a call to 911 was made. Members of the local fire and police departments arrived at a rocky shoreline area on Newton Road at around 1:59 p.m., and found her father in the water “frantically” searching for her, said Narragansett Police Chief Dean Hoxsie.
A massive search by various agencies ensued, and Stanton was found more than two hours later “on rocks about 50 yards off shore,” according to rescuers. Firefighters tried to revive her at the scene, but Stanton later died at South County Hospital in Wakefield.
Narragansett Fire Chief Scott Partington told WPRI Eyewitness News that the extensive search and rescue operation involved responders from all over the area, including the Coast Guard, the Rhode Island State Police and various dive teams.
“The search area stretched about a mile and a half down the coast,” according to the WPRI report.
ABC 6 News reported that Stanton was found after one of the rescuers saw one of her flippers in the water.
Chief Hoxsie also told WPRI that “water conditions were rough; search team divers reported less than two feet of visibility underwater.”
“Even during the time when they did locate her, we had waves going over [their] backs, over their heads,” Hoxsie said.
Partington said that “the area by these rocks where they were searching is dangerous.”
“Many people wander out onto those rocks and they need to know that they need to stay off them, especially in the high surf.”
Chief Hoxie told WPRI that Stanton was wearing appropriate gear for snorkeling, including a wetsuit, but it was unclear whether she wore a “weighted belt” that is sometimes worn by snorkelers to adjust buoyancy for both going under water and staying at the surface.
News of the tragic accident quickly spread Wednesday evening across the Berkshires, prompting a flood of grief and sympathy for the Stanton family, a large, beloved, and prominent local clan.
Donations for Erin Lore and Maia’s brother Kyle can be made at https://www.youcaring.com/erin-lore-395407#.Va0IzxTTUZl.facebook
