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CLEVELAND (WJW) — A young woman who died after a paddleboarding rescue over the weekend at Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor has been identified as a city employee.
The woman’s name was Ellen Baker and she was 27 years old at the time of her death, the Lake County Coroner’s Office confirmed. The city of Cleveland also confirmed that Baker was an employee working as an asset redevelopment senior specialist.
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Jeff Epstein, the city’s chief of integrated development, released the following statement regarding Baker’s passing:
We are extremely saddened to learn about this tragedy. Ellen was a true leader and friend to many people not just here at City Hall, but also in the community. She came to work with compassion in her heart wanting to help the residents of Cleveland every single day. The city is coordinating grief counseling and other services for fellow employees.
The community organization Slavic Village Development also released a statement on their Facebook, remembering Baker.
“Through her work, Ellen left a lasting imprint on neighborhoods, like Slavic Village. She will be deeply missed,” they said in part in the post.
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On Sunday, just after 5 p.m., Ohio Department of Natural Resources officers were reportedly called to the state park after a person who was paddleboarding outside of the swimming area had gone underwater.
First responders were able to rescue Baker and she was taken to the hospital, but she died Monday morning, an ODNR spokesperson said.
The coroner’s office said Baker’s death is still under investigation.
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