Central Kentucky man kayaking with his fiancee gets swept underwater, dies

A Central Kentucky man died Wednesday after being swept underwater while kayaking with his fiancee, according to Scott County Coroner John Goble.

Edwardo Ponce, a 26-year-old Georgetown resident, was kayaking with his fiancee in North Elkhorn Creek at Great Crossing Park when they got too close to the dam, Goble said.

“It swept them under,” Goble said. “Both of them went under – she came back up, they got her out and she lived.”

Ponce stayed under longer, Goble said. When they got him out, he still had a faint heartbeat and was taken to Georgetown Community Hospital. He was pronounced dead around 8 p.m., Goble said.

Ponce’s fiancee, who is from Lexington, was also hospitalized. She has since been treated and released. The two were alone in separate kayaks when they were pulled under, Goble said. They were set to get married in July.

The water levels in the creek were high after recent rain, Goble said. The Scott County sheriff’s office, the Georgetown Fire Department and the Scott County Fire Department responded to the emergency.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife was leading the death investigation. The Scott County coroner’s office and the Scott County sheriff’s office are assisting the investigation, Goble said. There was an autopsy scheduled for Ponce at the state medical examiner’s office in Louisville Thursday morning.

Johnson’s Funeral Home in Georgetown was set to make arrangements for Ponce’s funeral.