The Brief
15-year-old Shaylani Williams died in an accidental drowning in Lake Michigan last week.
Crews helped Williams regain a pulse before taking her to the hospital, where she later died.
Her family is pushing for signage and stronger safety measures at the beach.
RACINE, Wis. - A 15-year-old Racine teenager died after she was rescued from Lake Michigan last week.
Accidental drowning
What we know
The Racine Sheriff's Office said the teen, now identified as Shaylani Williams, went under while swimming at Carre-Hogle Park and did not resurface on Thursday, July 31. She was later pulled from the water approximately 20 feet from shore.
Crews helped Williams regain a pulse before taking her to the hospital, where the Racine County Sheriff’s Department said she later died.
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The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project said so far this year, there have been 51 drownings in Lake Michigan.
"The phone call you never want to receive"
What they're saying
Liz Villalobos was in church when she got the call no grandparent ever wants to receive — her granddaughter had been in an accident.
"It’s the phone call you never want to receive," she said. "It just happened so suddenly. You never expect [...] you never expect to lose a child."
Villalobos said her granddaughter had been with friends and wasn’t an avid swimmer, but she liked being in the water.
"It’s very hard," Villalobos said. "Her parents are taking it very hard."
The sheriff’s office said that on the night Williams drowned, there were visible rip currents and three-foot waves in the lagoon.
"There were no beach hazard warnings. There were no beach closed signs. They didn’t know," Villalobos said. "And if we can get that changed in Shaylani’s memory so that other families don’t have to go through the same thing we’re going through, that would be wonderful."
Family members say Williams had a special spark and loved running, wrestling, and staying active.
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"Shaylani was a happy, lively, joking young lady," her grandmother said. "I hold her close to my heart."
Push for safety
Dig deeper
Now, the family is pushing for signage and stronger safety measures at the beach — and sharing this message for other kids swimming in Lake Michigan:
"When you’re young, it doesn’t seem so bad, but just be careful," Villalobos said. "If it starts to, get out of the water."
Helping the family
What you can do
The funeral for Williams is on Friday, Aug. 8.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses and continued support.
The Source
The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
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