An autopsy is planned on the body of a Florida woman who drowned in the Upper Iowa River Sunday afternoon northwest of Decorah.
Information from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says kayakers found the body of 65-year-old Susan Ann Fechhelm, of St. Petersburg, Florida near the shoreline and attempted to provide immediate medical attention. She was eventually transported to Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah and did not survive.
The DNR says Fechhelm was by herself in a kayak and believed to have been in distress, although no witnesses observed her kayak capsizing. Fechhelm was wearing a life jacket when she left the canoe access, however it is unknown at this time why and when the life jacket partially came off.
The State Medical Examiner will do an autopsy to try and determine if any other factors contributed to the drowning.