Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Local authorities are urging safety following a tragic incident Thursday afternoon on a pond in Milford Township.

At approximately 1:41pm, the Milford Township Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to Hubbell Pond for a dog that appeared to be stuck on the ice. Crews were able to rescue the dog, but in doing so, observed several personal items near the edge of the ice.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team was requested and immediately responded to the scene to deploy several public safety divers to search the pond. That team was assisted by “Strike Teams” from the Livingston County Dive Team, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, and the Van Buren Township Dive Team. Those agencies are a part of the Southeast Michigan Dive Group.

Public safety personnel observed a coat near the surface and divers were able recover the victim who fell through the ice, approximately 250 feet from the edge of the ice. Once brought to shore, emergency personnel initiated lifesaving measures and the victim was transported to Detroit Medical Center Huron Valley – Sinai Hospital.

At approximately 7pm the victim, identified as a 75-year-old Milford woman, was pronounced deceased.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said given the temperature fluctuations recently, they urge the community to assume all ice is not safe for pedestrian or vehicular traffic. He stressed that if an animal goes through the ice, people should not attempt to go out and save it as they could become a victim as well – adding that’s the moment people should contact authorities.

The Southeast Michigan Dive Group is the largest public safety dive group in the country, consisting of 24 agencies with 282 divers and 176 support personnel. It provides marine and land-based search and rescue services, responding to missing persons, drownings, boating accidents, and other incidents on a year-round basis.