Local fishermen in Olga Bay, 125 miles south of Kodiak, called in a drowning death to the United States Coast Guard via VHF radio. According to the fishermen, they were flagged down by a skiff reporting the death of 44-year-old Dana Lounsbury.

Alaska State Troopers were notified by the Coast Guard at 12:03 am early Thursday morning. Because of darkness, the troopers could not immediately respond to the scene.

At first light, the troopers departed for Akhiok and met with the Akhiok VPSO. The VPSO and troopers travelled the Olga Bay area and conducted interviews and investigations at the scene.

The trooper investigation discovered that Lounsbury and three others had traveled to Stockholm Bay for an overnight camping trip. While underway to their destination Lounsbury began drinking alcohol according to witnesses. When the skiff had arrived at the destination, Lounsbury jumped from the skiff and began swimming in the lagoon.

According to witness reports, Lounsbury was found approximately 25 minutes later floating face-down in the lagoon about four feet from shore.

Lounsbury was retrieved from the water and those present began performing CPR on the unresponsive Lounsbury. After between 30 and 60 minutes of CPR, efforts to revive Lounsbury was abandoned and the remaining boaters left the drowning scene to report the incident. The boaters traveled several miles to report the drowning, then after realizing the tide was coming in, returned to the scene to retrieve the body from the rising tide.

Lounsbury’s next of kin in Oregon have been notified. Lounsbury’s remains will be transported to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage for autopsy.

Alcohol was a factor in Lounsbury’s death, but foul play is not suspected in the incident.