Found Deceased IN - Jacqueline Watts, 33, Columbus, 3 March 2017

  • #861
Cause of death: drowning, pending toxicology

Manner of death: accident

Entered the water and drowned. No mention on which side of the lowhead dam.
 
  • #862
The press release from the coroner is online

Websleuths doesn't like uploading my screen shots.
 
  • #863
IMG_6702.jpg
 
  • #864
I've been near dams just like that and they are very deceiving because they dont look like they could hold you stuck but they do. They are very forceful.

And for those that dont understand how she finally got swept to the sandbar it is rather simple really. By random chance of the current swirling it can eventually spit you out away from the undertow to allow you to go downstream.

We used to throw in large logs in a dam like this and watch it. It would get stuck and keep getting sucked down and turned around over and over and then eventually by chance the dam would spit it out and it would end up floating downstream.

So it is all just how the current happens to grab it and sometimes it can free its hold on something by random chance.
 
  • #865
I think she went in the river the same place we did except that the water was one foot higher and unpredictable. She knew that place on the river all her life, just like my wife. You could walk to that sandbar normally without taking off your shoes.
And, It had not rained in Columbus for two days and only .6 inches then. Rivers can catch you by surprise because they can become swollen with water that came from somewhere else.
Not that many years ago, many parts of Columbus were 10 feet under water from a flood that came on a sunny day and with no broadcast warning. One family was watching TV when a wall of water came crashing through the windows.
You just can't always trust those rivers.

I agree. I think she went in the water on that side of the dam.
 
  • #866
I've been near dams just like that and they are very deceiving because they dont look like they could hold you stuck but they do. They are very forceful.

And for those that dont understand how she finally got swept to the sandbar it is rather simple really. By random chance of the current swirling it can eventually spit you out away from the undertow to allow you to go downstream.

We used to throw in large logs in a dam like this and watch it. It would get stuck and keep getting sucked down and turned around over and over and then eventually by chance the dam would spit it out and it would end up floating downstream.

So it is all just how the current happens to grab it and sometimes it can free its hold on something by random chance.


That happens on the "low" side, correct? The water from the other side going over the top is what causes it?

I think she entered the low side, got caught in the whirlpool (which is why they couldn't find her Friday night), and then the water level dropped overnight and she was exposed. (...she wasn't spit out... only that the water level dropped which stopped the whirlpool). She drowned right at the sandbar/wier and was found when the water went down.
 
  • #867
  • #868
My condolences to her family. I am so sorry they lost their precious loved girl !!!


Just wanted to say : Three summers ago my DH and our two sons --10 yrs and 22 yrs at the time -- and my daughter in law; were wading a shallow creek in a river about an hour from us.

Beautiful day and a gorgeous park
When walking down to the far end where a grove of trees begins, I saw a deeper, brilliant ,round pool and thought it would be fun to step into it.This pool was swirling a little more opposite of the way the creek was flowing, and the water in it was a darker blue hue.

Put one foot in and suddenly I was up to my chest. Unbelievable.

I consider myself a strong swimmer-- but it tugged and pulled downwards.
Yes, I shouted.
My oldest son was the closest and he grabbed my arm and yanked me out.
He was shaking his head,saying the town NEEDS to put a warning for deeper water there.

My DH called them after we drove home-- just wanted to let the city know.
Afaik, they never did put up any signs. But I wish they would.

The rest of that creek doesn't get higher than an adults' knees.
Unless it gets deeper towards the end --we haven't followed it down to the source and tbh do not feel like wading anywhere unless the creek bed is visible below.
 
  • #869
That happens on the "low" side, correct? The water from the other side going over the top is what causes it?

I think she entered the low side, got caught in the whirlpool (which is why they couldn't find her Friday night), and then the water level dropped overnight and she was exposed. (...she wasn't spit out... only that the water level dropped which stopped the whirlpool). She drowned right at the sandbar/wier and was found when the water went down.

The low side right up near the dam wall is where the current is basically like an undertow similar to the undertow you experience at a beach in the ocean. It keeps pulling you right to the dam wall no matter how much you try to swim away. And it can pull you under water too. It is usually deeper than people think right near the dam wall.

I agree that she likely waded in from the low side and IMO I think the dog was likely already stuck in the current near the dam and she just tried to save it so she had to get in the dangerous current too in order to get the dog. It is so deceiving and fools lots of people because it doesnt look that bad but it is strong current.

I think the dam eventually allowed them to get washed downstream a little bit near the sand bar but like you said her body may have been submerged until the water level dropped and then she was found.

But I do think that undertow current near the dam is what caused this.

JMO of course.
 
  • #870
That makes much more sense than she slipped and fell in on the other side of the dam.

She walked in. I can see the scenario you mentioned where the dog is already in the swirl and she tries to save it.
 
  • #871
My condolences to her family. I am so sorry they lost their precious loved girl !!!


Just wanted to say : Three summers ago my DH and our two sons --10 yrs and 22 yrs at the time -- and my daughter in law; were wading a shallow creek in a river about an hour from us.

Beautiful day and a gorgeous park
When walking down to the far end where a grove of trees begins, I saw a deeper, brilliant ,round pool and thought it would be fun to step into it.This pool was swirling a little more opposite of the way the creek was flowing, and the water in it was a darker blue hue.

Put one foot in and suddenly I was up to my chest. Unbelievable.

I consider myself a strong swimmer-- but it tugged and pulled downwards.
Yes, I shouted.
My oldest son was the closest and he grabbed my arm and yanked me out.
He was shaking his head,saying the town NEEDS to put a warning for deeper water there.

My DH called them after we drove home-- just wanted to let the city know.
Afaik, they never did put up any signs. But I wish they would.

The rest of that creek doesn't get higher than an adults' knees.
Unless it gets deeper towards the end --we haven't followed it down to the source and tbh do not feel like wading anywhere unless the creek bed is visible below.

Something similar happened to me in my own back yard in the lake. I was wearing waders and didn't know I was stepping in a hole. (I was trying to plant a pole for a duck house). My waders filled with water. Luckily I had a walking stick with me and was able to hold on, drop the waders (wearing granny panties, nice). I got out. I don't like to talk about it because I'm not sure I would have lived if I didn't have the walking stick. No one knew I was out there doing that either. Didn't think it through-- didn't know about old tree holes in waters.
 
  • #872
  • #873
Unbelievably sad!

And I have to wonder if poor little Ringo somehow escaped from his house past a door to the outside, got lost, could not find his way back, until Jacqueline tried to catch him.

I have a friend who had a small white dog, about 100 in human years, blind, deaf, was an indoors dog for the most part, fell down the stairs of friend's home a few times and broke some bones (3 storey condo on the beach in Venice, FL), poor little thing was in really bad shape. To make a long story short, my friend had to make the hardest decision all pet owners have to face at one time or another: put it to sleep.

I don't have anything else to add except RIP Jacqueline and Ringo. :(

So sorry this happened.
 
  • #874
In these photos, I am on the exact spot where she was found, on the sandbar.
The water was 1 foot higher when she ran in after Ringo.

I would never look at that river and think it could be dangerous. So peaceful and calm looking.
 
  • #875
The one thing about drowning, is that to drown a person has to (very obviously) expel the air in lungs and replace it with water. That is the definition of drowning. (Water in lungs)

When the air is expelled from the lungs, and is replaced with water (which is heavy), the body sinks.

1)So did she drown in the water on top of the sand bar and her body wasn't found until the waters receded the next day? (Dam having no impact here)

2) did her clothes hold trapped air which somehow allowed her to float and the conditions were perfect enough for her body to somehow float over the dam, but then not float any farther downstream so that her body stayed right there?

3) was she struggling and fighting alive, made it over the dam alive and then died of hypothermia on the sand bar?

To me, if the water current was strong enough and there was enough water to get her over the dam, she would have been found further away.

Decomp causes the body to rise to the surface. Not sure if there was enough time for that to occur.
 
  • #876
Made me tear up. So sad:

At a young age, Jackie developed a love for animals. To say that this was Jackie’s passion would be an understatement. Jackie volunteered with the Kentuckiana Boxer Rescue and Indy Claw Animal Rescue where she was a member of the board of directors. She also fostered multiple dogs and rabbits. She cared deeply about the wellbeing of animals. If she believed she could help an animal in need, she was going to do so without hesitation. We know that Jackie gave her life for what she believed in.

“Oh that we would all be filled with enough passion to give our lives for what we believe in.”

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/03/06/jackie-watts-family-animals-were-her-passion/98812224/
 
  • #877
IMO, in this and any case, just because LE states "foul play is not suspected", that doesn't mean a whole lot until an autopsy is done. IMO the phrase "foul play not suspected" simply means that upon a basic visual inspection of the body at the scene that there were no overt signs of foul play (body with bullet wounds, stab wounds, ligature around the neck, hands or feet tied up, etc). To me it just means there's nothing "obvious" to suggest foul play.....but that could easily change once autopsy and/or toxicology testing is done, or witnesses come forth with info.

But the "dog theory" referred to frequently is just that, a theory.....yet I read many comments here in which this "theory" is being taken as actual fact and being discussed as if it were a proven fact, and that puzzles me because WS is a place where we discuss theories and facts but we don't make a hypothetical theory into an actual fact.

Correct. But, the fact we have is that LE does not suspect foul play. Unless the autopsy suggests otherwise or they have discovered new information overnight, I expect we will hear that explanation that they want the public to know at the press conference. The dog theory is more likely than foul play and maybe as likely as suicide or medical emergency given the facts we know
JMO.

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  • #878
IMO, in this and any case, just because LE states "foul play is not suspected", that doesn't mean a whole lot until an autopsy is done. IMO the phrase "foul play not suspected" simply means that upon a basic visual inspection of the body at the scene that there were no overt signs of foul play (body with bullet wounds, stab wounds, ligature around the neck, hands or feet tied up, etc). To me it just means there's nothing "obvious" to suggest foul play.....but that could easily change once autopsy and/or toxicology testing is done, or witnesses come forth with info.

But the "dog theory" referred to frequently is just that, a theory.....yet I read many comments here in which this "theory" is being taken as actual fact and being discussed as if it were a proven fact, and that puzzles me because WS is a place where we discuss theories and facts but we don't make a hypothetical theory into an actual fact.

But there is evidence supporting the dog theory--two separate witnesses reported seeing her chasing the dog with the sweater in that area (apparently one had to put on the brakes to avoid hitting them), and the dog was found downstream, also deceased. Added to the known fact that she was a lifelong rescuer of animals in distress.

MOO


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  • #879
I can't even imagine how devastated Jackie's family is and what a shock this has been. It's mind boggling that such a freak accident could happen. My heart is just broken for them, and for poor little Ringo and his owners. :(
 
  • #880
But there is evidence supporting the dog theory--two separate witnesses reported seeing her chasing the dog with the sweater in that area (apparently one had to put on the brakes to avoid hitting them), and the dog was found downstream, also deceased. Added to the known fact that she was a lifelong rescuer of animals in distress.

MOO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Precisely. The circumstantial evidence is about as strong as it can be. Beyond a reasonable doubt, IMO.
 

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