Gosper County Sheriff Dennis Ocke says a 3-year-old girl drowned at Johnson Lake, just southwest of Lexington, late Wednesday afternoon after a flotation toy she was on overturned.
The body of Avery Mendiola of Lexington was found about 7:30 Thursday morning by searchers.
Sheriff Ocke says deputies were called about 5:45 when the float toy with the girl drifted into the main area of the lake.
When deputies arrived, they were told the float had flipped, pitching the toddler into the water, and that she hadn’t resurfaced.
The Lexington Fire and Rescue Dive Team and Nebraska Game and Parks searched the lake until about 10:30, when it was suspended for the night. It resumed around 6:30 and Mendiola’s body was found about an hour later