Clarksville teen dies in drowning in Spencer County

Libby Cunningham, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·1 min read

Aug. 24—CLARKSVILLE — A Clarksville teen has died after drowning in a Spencer County Lake.

According to the Santa Claus Police Department and Indiana State Police, officers were called to the lake in Christmas Lake Village Monday afternoon on a report of a person in the lake having a medical issue.

Santa Claus officers Logan Musgrave and Keegan Kennedy, along with Indiana State Police trooper Trey Lytton, arrived quickly, shed their gear and went into the lake.

Kennedy located an unconscious 18-year-old male 8 to 10 feet below the surface of the water.

"For an unknown reason (the victim) went under water," Lytton told the News and Tribune on Wednesday. "Myself and two other Santa Claus officers made entrance to the water. We were able to pull him up and perform CPR."

Santa Claus Fire and Spencer County EMS continued attempts to resuscitate the victim and regained signs of life. He was taken by ambulance to Jasper Memorial Hospital and later flown to University of Louisville Hospital in critical condition.

The victim has been identified by loved ones as Winston Rodrigo Ruiz Vasquez. They said in an online post that he passed away Wednesday. Ruiz Vasquez recently graduated from Clarksville Senior High School

"Loved by everyone," his family wrote. "He enjoyed dancing and singing and was always the life of the party."

Ruiz Vasquez was a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarksville. Donations are accepted through the church, ask for Pastor Ernesto Fernandez. Anyone who wants to help the family can donate to this GoFundMe: https://bit.ly/3pFHwHx