Police are investigating the death of a woman who was found “unresponsive” and “soaking wet” in downtown Squamish on Friday (March 28).
At 9 a.m., RCMP were alerted to a woman that seemed to be suffering a medical emergency near the Mamquam Blind Channel, Squamish RCMP Sgt. Brian Cumming told The Chief.
“She was definitely in distress and seemed to be suffering from a seizure,” he said.
The woman was found soaking wet underneath a parked vehicle and was not able to communicate to officers throughout the incident, Cumming said. Her body temperature was low and it appeared she had crawled under the truck for shelter, he added.
Police immediately called an ambulance. Paramedics arrived five minutes later and rushed the woman to the Squamish General Hospital, Cumming said.
Unfortunately, she was unable to recover and died at the hospital, Sgt. Wayne Pride told The Chief on Monday (March 31).
An autopsy and toxicology were being performed on Monday. The woman was known around downtown, Pride said, adding police are not releasing the name of the woman until next of kin are notified.
Police are still trying to piece together what happened. The woman did not live on a boat in the channel, but may have had friends who did, Pride said.
“We are still investigating to find out exactly what happened to rule out foul play,” he said.
Officers never saw the woman in the water, Cumming noted. The woman had no injuries, cuts or broken bones, he added.
“We believe we have her identity, be we are not even sure of that,” Cumming said.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Squamish RCMP at (604) 892-6100. You can also call Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477.
