Search team recovers body from Kennedy Pond in Windsor

Windsor police and firefighters and the Hanover Fire Department dive team search for a missing swimmer at Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Vt., on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (Valley News - James M. Patterson)

Windsor police and firefighters and the Hanover Fire Department dive team search for a missing swimmer at Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Vt., on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) James M. Patterson

Windsor Police Cpl. Jered Condon. Windsor police and firefighter and the Hanover Fire Department dive team search for a missing swimmer at Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Vt., on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (Valley News - James M. Patterson)

Windsor Police Cpl. Jered Condon. Windsor police and firefighter and the Hanover Fire Department dive team search for a missing swimmer at Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Vt., on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) James M. Patterson

Windsor Fire Chief Kevin McAllister searches Kennedy Pond from above, while a lifeguard searches the water from a dock on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 in Windsor, Vt. On Wednesday evening, the Vermont State Police dive team recovered a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old girl who drowned while swimming at the pond Wednesday afternoon.(Valley News-Jennifer Hauck)

Windsor Fire Chief Kevin McAllister searches Kennedy Pond from above, while a lifeguard searches the water from a dock on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 in Windsor, Vt. On Wednesday evening, the Vermont State Police dive team recovered a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old girl who drowned while swimming at the pond Wednesday afternoon.(Valley News-Jennifer Hauck) Jennifer Hauck

Members of the Vermont State Police dive team and Windsor police officers watch as VSP divers search a section of Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Vt., for a 14-year-old girl on Wednesday, July, 2, 2025. (Valley News-Jennifer Hauck)

Members of the Vermont State Police dive team and Windsor police officers watch as VSP divers search a section of Kennedy Pond in Windsor, Vt., for a 14-year-old girl on Wednesday, July, 2, 2025. (Valley News-Jennifer Hauck) Jennifer Hauck

By EMMA ROTH-WELLS

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 07-02-2025 3:14 PM

Modified: 07-02-2025 9:12 PM


WINDSOR — First responders recovered what is believed to be the body of a missing 14-year-old girl from Kennedy Pond on Wednesday evening.

An investigation into the death is ongoing, Windsor Police Chief Bill Daniels said.

The girl is from the Burlington area, according to Lt. Charles Winn from the Vermont State Police dive team. Further information about the girl’s identity was not immediately available.

The girl is believed to have been at the pond with “friends of the family,” Daniels said while on the scene.

The VSP team recovered the body less than 100 feet offshore between the docks and a yellow floating raft at about 5:30 p.m., after 45 minutes of searching.

In addition to the VSP team, the Hanover dive team responded to the call at about 12:15 p.m. for a water rescue, as did Windsor fire and police departments.

Emma McCumber, who grew up in Windsor but now lives in Massachusetts, was swimming at the pond with her kids when she heard screams from the beach from those who noticed the girl was missing.

“Immediately the lifeguards hopped into action,” McCumber said when she returned to the pond hours later to check for updates.

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Before police cleared the water of all swimmers, McCumber, along with some dozen other bystanders, searched for the girl herself for about 45 minutes.

“It was an amazing community effort,” she said.

Without any diving equipment besides goggles, the bystanders attempted to do a grid search. “We went down as deep as we could but it was pretty useless. There’s really long weeds in that area. You can’t see your hands in front of your face.”

Told the girl had pink hair, the bystanders searched for the distinctive feature in the water.

“We just kept looking for pink hair,” McCumber said.

Wednesday’s incident was the latest water-related death in Vermont this summer.

Late last month, there were three drownings in Vermont in the span of five days, VTDigger reported.

An 18-year-old Burlington High School student died after jumping into the water at Bartlett Falls in Bristol on June 21.

A 30-year-old employee of Basin Harbor Club in Ferrisburgh drowned in Lake Champlain on June 24.

Another man was found dead further north in Lake Champlain near Red Rocks Park in South Burlington on June 25.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Emma Roth-Wells can be reached at erothwells@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.