27-Year-Old Drowns In Litchfield County's Bantam Lake

A 27-year-old man drowned while swimming in a Connecticut lake at a campground.

Bantam Fire Department divers search for the missing swimmers, one who later died.
Photo Credit: *Bantam Fire Department*

06/10/2024 11:00 a.m.

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The incident occurred in Litchfield County at the Point Folly Campground in Bantam around 12:30 p.m., Saturday, June 8.

According to Will Healey, spokesman for the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, DEEP Conservation Police (EnCon) responded to a report of distressed swimmers at Bantam Lake.

A 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old man, identified as New Haven County resident Kyree Dowd of Meriden, were involved, said Healey.

Dowd went underwater and did not resurface.

Emergency services, including fire, EMS, Connecticut State Police, and EnCon Police, responded to the 911 call. Officers deployed vessels to initiate a waterborne search.

Using side scan sonar, divers from Region 5 quickly located and retrieved Dowd, Healey said.

EMS immediately began CPR, and both swimmers were transported to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington for medical treatment.

Healey reported that Dowd died around 6:30 p.m. on June 8.

This incident remains under investigation by the EnCon Police.

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