PORT ANGELES – Update on the death of 31-year-old Amelia Bethke, who died while visiting Lake Crescent on the evening of Thursday, August 15.
Clallam County Prosecutor/Coroner Mark Nichols told KONP Wednesday “While we do not yet have an autopsy report or toxicology result, the preliminary manner and cause of death have been classified as accidental freshwater drowning.”
Bethke, a native of Bellingham, was an experienced swimmer and long distance trail runner. She lived with her husband, Kristian Tollefson, aboard a sailboat.
A friend of Bethke called 911 at about 6:30pm requesting medical aid. CPR was in progress when Clallam County 2 Fire and Rescue arrived on scene along with park law enforcement rangers. She was transported to Olympic Medical Center where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Bethke’s obituary in the Bellingham Herald can be found here.
Above: Amelia Bethke
Banner photo from Bethke’s Facebook page, dated 2014.