Hypothermia, possible drowning caused deaths of 3 children, their father; kayaking on Lake Superior

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

Ashland County Sheriff Mick Brennan tells the Ashland Daily News that preliminary autopsy results indicate that 39-year-old Eric Fryman 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, Aug.30  for a 4-mile (6-kilometer) paddle across open water to Michigan Island. But their 13½-foot (4-meter) 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.