Windsor woman presumed drowned could not swim

Search teams in Windsor, Ont., are trying to recover the body of a 20-year-old woman they believe drowned early Friday in Lake St. Clair.

Police said the woman, who did not know how to swim. disappeared while in the water with friends at Sandpoint Beach.

Staff Sgt. Michael Langlois said all of the young people had been drinking, including the missing woman.

Police said the woman and three male friends, all University of Windsor students, were at the beach in Windsor's east end when three of the four went into the water around 4 a.m.

Langlois said one man stayed on the shore. Those who went in the water either couldn't swim or were weak swimmers.

They told police the woman went into the water past the buoy marking the safety zone, then slipped under the surface. At 4:20 a.m., police received a call that the woman hadn't been seen for several minutes.

Beach not supervised after 7 p.m.

Police said they were not concerned about the temperature of the water, but rather the strong currents and undertow.

Past the safety markers is the point at which the Detroit River meets Lake St. Clair. Langlois said even a strong swimmer would have trouble managing the currents.

The woman's name has not been released.

Sandpoint Beach is supervised every day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Anyone swimming outside those hours could be charged with trespassing, though police said that is not being considered in this case.