More than a month after a water search and rescue effort began at Lake Springfield, human remains recovered downriver are believed to be those of a mother who went missing during a period of heavy rain and flooding.
On June 14, the Springfield Fire Department began a water search effort at Lake Springfield after four people in a kayak and two attached inflatable tubes went over the Lake Springfield Dam, according to previous News-Leader reporting. The incident occurred after several days of heavy rainfall.
During the search, 12-year-old Aurelie Stawny was rescued as the only survivor. The bodies of her two sisters, 19-year-old Andrea and 17-year-old Sofie, were recovered in the days that followed the incident.
On the evening of Thursday, July 23,
SFD officials said they believe the human remains found downriver are those of the girls' mother, 40-year-old Taylor Stawny, according to a city news release. Formal identification is pending by the Greene County Medical Examiner's Office.
“While formal identification remains pending, this recovery marks a significant moment in a search that has weighed heavily on our entire community,” said Fire Chief David Pennington in the release. “Our hearts remain with the Stawny family as they continue to endure an unimaginable loss.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to support the surviving Stawny family. As of July 24, the effort had raised more than $43,000. According to the GoFundMe updates from the girls' father, a visitation was held July 17 and included a memorial for Taylor Stawny, even as the family waited for her body to be recovered.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Human remains found at Lake Springfield likely missing mother
