Mom, 5-year-old daughter found dead after being swept away by river in Connecticut: police

A mother and her 5-year-old daughter were found dead after they were swept away by a flooded river in Connecticut, state police said.

Police responded to a report of a possible drowning in the Shetucket River in Sprague around 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday after someone reported hearing a little boy scream for help, NBC Connecticut reported.

The mother, 39-year-old Kelly Dora, of Norwich, and her daughter, 5-year-old Aralye McKeever, were spotted face-down in the water by rescue crews and pulled from the river. 

They were taken by ambulance to William W. Backus Hospital, where Dora was pronounced dead.

The girl was later moved to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, but was also declared dead on Wednesday afternoon, CSP said.

Police do not suspect foul play and are investigating the incident as “untimely deaths.”

Baltic Fire Chief Bob Tardif told WSFB that the pair were swimming in an area the locals call “River Pond” when they were swept downstream.

The young girl’s brother witnessed the incident and was able to help investigators locate the mother and daughter downstream, Tardif said.

Family members told the outlet that Dora was a nature-lover and a strong swimmer.

“When you get caught up in moving water like this, it’s difficult to predict where you’re going to end up,” Tardif said. “I don’t care how good of a swimmer you are, trying to overcome the current dragging you downstream to get to one side of the river or another, it’s really difficult.”

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine an official cause of death for the victims.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has warned that many of the state’s rivers and streams are flooded following days of rain and should be avoided.

“Swimming in or near flooded waterbodies with high waters, swift currents, and moving debris can pose serious dangers,” Paul Copleman, media relations manager for DEEP, told NBC Connecticut.