A horror kayaking accident in Wisconsin has killed all but one member of a family of five. The mother, 29-year-old Cari Mews-Fryman, managed to survive the kayak capsizing, however, she lost her three children—Kyra, 9, Annaliese, 5, and Jansen, 3—and her husband, Eric Fryman, 39.
The five were on a family vacation to Lake Superior and were staying on Madeline Island. According to local authorities, they were planning to visit the Apostle Islands.
Police were notified by Mews-Fryman's sister at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night. Mews-Fryman sent her sister, Bobi Mews, a message that read "911" and "Michigan Island" however it took time to deliver as there was no service, according to Coast Guard master chief Alan Haraf, reported Associated Press.
"It wasn't until later in the evening when she had drifted into a service area that the text message finally went through," Haraf said.
After the tandem kayak capsized, Fryman gathered the three children while Mews-Fryman attempted to return to the boat for an emergency bag. Waves on the lake separated the family and Mews-Fryman lost sight of them.
Mews-Fryman was not found until around 10 p.m. that night. The bodies of the father and the two youngest children were discovered just after midnight. The remaining child, Kyra, was found at around 10 a.m. on Friday morning. It is not known how the kayak capsized or what the weather conditions were at the time. All of them were wearing life jackets while kayaking.
Bobi Mews told the Star Tribune that the tragedy is starting to sink in for Mews-Fryman. "Now it's hitting her pretty hard," Mews said. "She's trying to be strong." Speaking about her nieces, Mews described Kyra as someone who loved water activities and Anneliese as "gutsy."
Boat captain Joe Walters was in the area and heard the distress call put out by authorities at around 9:20 p.m. He found Mews-Fryman as she was hypothermic. She was pulled aboard by the crew. The search continued for the father and three children until Walters received word they had been found.
"Her entire family was just erased," Walters said. "And if she didn't have that flashlight, I don't think we would have ever seen her. It was black dark."
Coast Guard Lt. Daniel Peters said the ikely cause of death of the father and three children was hypothermia. "I think hypothermia was a huge factor, especially for the children," Peters said.
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