Drunken boating suspected in death of woman on Cass Lake

Drunken boating may have been a factor in the death of an Eden Prairie woman who was thrown from a boat on Cass Lake in northern Minnesota.

The Beltrami County sheriff's office says 50-year-old Brenda Lois Larson was riding in a boat driven by a 45-year-old Minnetonka man when they and a 4-year-old were thrown into the water about 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

Nearby fishermen rescued the boat driver and the child. Larson was unresponsive and not breathing when she was pulled from the water a short time later. Rescuers took her to shore, and she was pronounced dead at a Cass Lake hospital.

The boat driver was arrested on suspicion of boating while intoxicated and remained in jail Sunday pending formal charges.

The incident remains under investigation.

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