Police release name of Wausau woman who died Tuesday while cooling off in Wisconsin River

WAUSAU − Police have released the name of a 55-year-old woman who died after being pulled from the river in the downtown area Tuesday, according to police.

At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, a caller reported a body in the water near the downtown area, Wausau Deputy Police Chief Matthew Barnes said. Wausau Police and Fire departments responded to the call and found the woman. Fire department paramedics performed lifesaving measures, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tammy Miller, of Wausau, who was homeless at the time, had gone for a swim in the Wisconsin River with other people to cool off when she drowned, according to new information released by the Wausau Police Department. An autopsy was scheduled to be done on Wednesday, although officials do not believe her death involved foul play.

Many people from the community use the river to swim and cool off during the summer, Barnes said. There also are many other places in the city people can go to cool off while temperatures are expected to get into the 90s on Thursday.

The Open Door in downtown Wausau is maintaining morning hours, Barnes said. Catholic Charities is opening up the Warming Center as a cooling center. The Salvation Army also is maintaining hours where people can come and cool off. The Marathon County Literacy Center and the Marathon County Library also are good places to go and cool down, Barnes said.

The Police Department has brochures on where the homeless can go for help, Barnes said. The department's community services officers, who walk or use bicycles to get around the city, are reaching out to the homeless this week to make sure they have the brochures and information on where they can go to cool off.

Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Click to see the Wausau Daily Herald's special offers at wausaudailyherald.com/subscribe and download our app on the App Store or Google Play.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wausau woman dies Tuesday while cooling off in Wisconsin River