NEAR WATERLOO, IL ( KPLR )—
Investigators say 40 year old Kathy Baxmeyer planned a birthday night at the movies for her son, Kadin, and his friend Steven Austin Baum. They left the Baxmeyer home about 6 p.m. Friday. They live on Loehr Road, near St. Clair County's southern edge, between Smithton and Waterloo. Their home is also the site of Saddle Creek Stables, a large equestrian facility.With no sign of them by midnight, and with Kathy Baxmeyer not answering repeated phone calls, Baum's mother became worried and called police. St. Clair County Sheriff's Department Captain Steve Johnson says Baum and Baxmeyer are close friends,
Family and investigators from St. Clair County and Monroe County, where the Baums live, gathered at the stables. Baxmeyer's car was in the garage. It did not appear as though it had been moved all night.
About 100 yards from the Baxmeyer home sits a small lake. Johnson said deputies found a pair of boots and gloves near the water, and then a Monroe County canine went to work.
"It sniffed the boots and the globes and followed the scent directly into the lake," he explained. "They shined their lights onto the lake and way out on the lake you could see it was ice-covered but there was a hole in just about the center of the lake."
"They put boats in the lake, started looking right away, and it was several hours later that they recovered three bodies: a six year old, a seven year old, and the mother, who is 40 years old."
Investigators have identified the bodies as Baxmeyer, her son Kadin, a first grader at Smithton elementary, and Baum. They never made it to the movies. Detectives believe they drowned between 6 and 7 pm.
"Our initial indication is that it is a tragic accident where the children went out onto the lake and fell through, and the mother went to try to help them, and she also fell through," said Johnson. "And all three of them died as a result of that."
The two young boys were good buddies, and their mothers were dear friends, too, said the sheriff's department. They were celebrating Friday night for good reason: Kadin should have turned seven Saturday.
"What I think is even more tragic with this is the remaining family members who were inside the home didn't even know. They believed that they were at the movies. And during that time they were in the lake," he said. "How do you describe something that's even more than tragic? I don't know. I don't know. Obviously our hearts to out to the family."
Smithton Superintendent Dr. Steve York says counselors will be available for students Monday at Smithton Elementary.
