Two Willard teens dead as rescue operation scaled back at Lake Springfield

The Springfield Fire Department water rescue team has reduced its search and rescue operations on Lake Springfield after rescuing one and finding the bodies of two Willard teens on June 16-17, respectively. The mother of the three girls, Taylor Stawny, has yet to be located.

The fire department has been searching the lake since 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 14, the time when they received an emergency report that four people were in need of rescue on the body of water.

According to a release from the Springfield Fire Department, it was determined that the four people were in a kayak and two inflatable tubes that were connected at the time of the incident. The release states that further details as to what caused the emergency situation are unknown at this time.

As a result of the emergency, two Willard teens are dead. The body of Andrea Stawny, 19, was located on June 16 a quarter-mile downriver from the dam, while the body of Sofie Stawny, 17, was located near the dam on June 17. Emergency personnel were able to locate and rescue the youngest of the group, pulling Aurelie Stawny, 12, from the waters of the spillway below the dam and bringing her to the hospital. The release states that, in rescuing Aurelie, three members of the Springfield Fire Department’s Water Rescue Team were injured and also hospitalized.

Teams scaled back operations after four days of searching with Taylor Stawny, 40, remaining the only unlocated member of the four-person group.

“On behalf of Mayor Jeff Schrag, City Manager David Cameron, and the officers and firefighters of the Springfield Fire Department, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of those involved,” said Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington.

The Springfield Fire Department worked with the Springfield Police Department, Branson Fire-Rescue, Battlefield, Logan-Rogersville, and Ozark fire protection districts, Missouri Highway Patrol, including the air wing and Water Patrol divers, City Utilities and search-and-rescue K-9s from Boone County Fire Protection District and Missouri Task Force during this operation.

“We have used all resources available to return those missing to their loved ones. I am proud of the efforts from everyone involved,” said Fire Chief David Pennington. “While we are scaling back our search operations, we will continue to make flights with our drones in the days to come and will be turning over the incident to the Missouri Water Patrol.