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13-year-old girl drowns while boating with friends on Lake Julia, sheriff says

WCCO digital update: Afternoon of July 31, 2023
WCCO digital update: Afternoon of July 31, 2023 01:45

BEMIDJI, Minn. – A 13-year-old girl is dead after drowning in a northern Minnesota lake Sunday.

The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office says the girl was reported missing after she was swimming with friends while on a pontoon on Lake Julia, which is just north of Bemidji.

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The girl was said to have been wearing a life jacket, but took it off when she was on the boat's ladder. She was found by search crews about three hours after she was reported missing in a part of the lake that was 23-feet deep.

The sheriff's office says several residents let crews use their boats in the effort to find the girl, who was from the Fargo-Moorhead area.

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