The family of a woman whose body was found in an icy lake in Beverly, Massachusetts, on Christmas after falling in the day before while walking her dog is mourning her.
Owen Kasozi is believed to have fallen into the freezing Wenham Lake in the J.C. Philips Nature Preserve and was unable to get herself out, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and Beverly police. The dog was found on its own in Topsfield at about 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, five hours after Kasozi was last seen.
Foul play isn’t suspected, authorities have said. Investigators believe Kasozi was unable to get out of the water.
A vigil for the 30-year-old engineer who lived in Danvers, a graduate of Salem University and Charlestown High School, was planned for Thursday.
“The Kasozi family regret to announce the death of their beloved daughter & sister, Owen Kasozi,” said a post on social media reported by The Boston Globe. “Owen died yesterday in Danvers, Ma. when she fell in a pond while walking her dog.”
Alex Nakato wrote about Kasozi’s death on her social media.
“My beautiful sister is gone,” she wrote, adding a series of emojis and continuing, “am in so much pain.”
The family shared more messages about Kasozi while asking for donations to help pay for her unexpected burial.
The icy Wenham Lake in Beverly, Massachusetts, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, two days after Owen Kasozi fell in. Her body was found on Christmas. At right is a sign from the trail to the lookout.
The area is a popular dog-walking spot, and on Thursday, both pawprints and tracks from shoes could be seen in the ice. One set of tracks went to a sign warning about being on the ice.
Authorities have been urging the public to stay off icy bodies of water this winter.
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