Hypothermia Apparent Cause Of Death For Father, 3 Children Kayaking Lake Superior

Autopsies indicate hypothermia and possibly drowning apparently caused the deaths of four Wisconsin family members kayaking on Lake Superior.

Ashland County Sheriff Mick Brennan told the Ashland Daily Press that preliminary autopsy results indicate that Eric Fryman, 39, died of hypothermia while his three children, ages 3 to 9, died of hypothermia and possibly drowning.

The family from Loyal, Wisconsin, set out from Madeline Island in an open-top tandem kayak last Thursday for a 4-mile paddle across open water to Michigan Island. But their 13 1/2-foot kayak capsized after the wind picked up.

Eric Fryman and his three children — 9-year-old Kyra, 5-year-old Annaliese and 3-year-old Jansen — were found dead in the frigid water. The children’s mother, 29-year-old Cari Mews-Fryman, survived.

All of them were wearing life jackets.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to correctly attribute the information to the Ashland Daily Press.