One rescued, one drowned in Patoka Lake incident

No alcohol or drugs were suspected to be contributing factors.

(Crawford County, Ind.) – Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the death of a man that occurred at Patoka Lake on Sunday evening.

At approximately 2:51 p.m. on Sunday, a conservation officer was on boat patrol on the lake when witnesses alerted him to a possible drowning, and he immediately responded. Shortly after, multiple 911 agencies received calls reporting that a man had disappeared in the water.

Investigation revealed that two females were aboard a towable tube affixed to a stationary rental boat by a rope when they fell off the tube and struggled to stay afloat.

Multiple people from the rental boat jumped into assist and rescued one of the females. One of the people who jumped from the rental boat was Travis Ray St. Martin, 33, of Racine, Wisconsin, who disappeared under the water.

The other female from the tub, K’neisha Adams, 25, of Burke, Virginia, was rescued by a group of people from a separate boat. Adams was airlifted to the University of Louisville Hospital where she was later released.

The body of St. Martin was recovered by conservation officers at approximately 7:34 p.m. Sunday.

The Crawford County coroner’s office ruled the preliminary cause of death as accidental drowning. No alcohol or drugs were suspected to be contributing factors.

Although adequate life jackets were present on the rental boat, none were in use. Indiana Conservation Officers strongly encourage wearing a life jacket when recreating on or around bodies of water.