Pleasant Prairie Police Department

2005 New Releases Archive

08/10/2005 | Child Dead, Man Missing in Lake Michigan Boating Incident
At 2:54 A.M. Wednesday morning, Pleasant Prairie Dispatch received a transfer call from the Kenosha County Joint Services Dispatch Center regarding a possible drowning that had occurred in the 10800 block of Lakeshore Drive in the Village of Pleasant Prairie. The call was made by Raymond Skrzypek, 41 of Kenosha, a Kenosha News Carrier who indicated that while on his delivery route, he had been flagged down by a young child who told him that his mother and 10 year old brother were on the beach and that his brother had possibly drown.

Pleasant Prairie Police along with Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to the scene and located Phyllis M. Emmerling, 42 along with her sons Jeffery R. Emmerling age 9 and David L. Emmerling, age 10, all of Antioch Illinois along the beach. David was unresponsive and all three were taken by Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue to Kenosha Hospital and Medical Center where David Emmerling was later pronounced dead. Phyllis and Jeffery remained at Kenosha Hospital where they were being treated for hypothermia. An autopsy is expected to occur on Thursday morning.

It appears that the three had been swimming from a boat on Lake Michigan Tuesday evening, which was anchored approximately four miles east of the shoreline and off of Lake County, Illinois. At the time boat was occupied by Emmerling, her two boys and a 7 year old daughter, Sandra along with the owner and operator of the boat, John P. Semkus, 58, also of Antioch. The five had left North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor Illinois in Semkus’s 22 foot powerboat at about 5:00 P.M.

While swimming, Emmerling and the two boys who were both wearing personal floatation devices began drifting away from the boat and despite their efforts, were unable to swim back. Semkus dove into the water in an attempt to aid the three, but began to drift himself and also was unable to return to the boat. It was decided to attempt to swim to shore but Semkus became separated from the Emmerlings and they lost sight of him.

The Emmerlings exited the water in the Village of Pleasant Prairie in the 10800 block of Lakeshore Drive and at that time made contact with the News carrier.

The Pleasant Prairie Police Department is working with the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department in a joint investigation which continues. At this point, foul play is not suspected, however the investigation does continue.

Media questions concerning search operations and status are being referred to Chief Paul Guilbert of Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue and the United States Coast Guard Station in Kenosha.

An archived copy of this and other Pleasant Prairie Police Department New Releases is available on the department’s website at www.pppd.info.

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