MARQUETTE, MI – (Great Lakes Radio News) – Officials at Northern Michigan University in Marquette have released some preliminary information from its investigation of the drowning of freshman soccer player on campus late last month.
18-year-old Arianna Alioto was discovered in the university pool on November 30, after a team workout in the facility.
Director of NMU Public Safety Mike Bath says the investigation is ongoing and the autopsy report will not be back from the county medical examiner’s office until sometime in January. Bath says initial interviews have been done with everyone in a position to observe what might have happened.
The interviews confirm there was a lifeguard present at the practice session and that none of the persons in the pool during the session saw or heard anyone in distress during or at the conclusion of the practice. Bath adds that the interviews confirm the lifeguard’s statement that she had locked the pool entrances prior to turning in the pool key at the recreation sports front desk around 5 p.m.
First responders confirmed that they had to unlock the pool door when responding to the emergency call. A student in the PEIF’s second-story workout area overlooking the pool identified the possible drowning situation around 5:35 p.m.
Alioto was transported by EMS to Marquette General Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. Bath concluded that Public Safety officers observed no obvious signs of physical trauma and there is no indication of foul play.
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