Woman Drowns In Rain Barrel [rescuing a kitten]

KOAT.com ^ | January 7, 2008 | staff reporter

[sodpoodle]

***He did not need to tie any barrel to any door***

Right - the only reason to tie it steady - would be so that she wouldn’t topple it over, struggling, as he was drowning her.

I hope the medical examiner does a thorough autopsy - not like poor Kathleen Savio.

[Daffynition]

Another version of this story ...

ELDORADO, N.M., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Authorities said a woman drowned in her Eldorado, N.M., home after apparently trying to retrieve a kitten from a rain barrel.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said the body of Deborah Hill, 48, was discovered by her husband just before 2 p.m. Sunday, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported Monday.

Solano said the couple had taken the 55-gallon plastic rain barrel inside their home to thaw ice inside it. The barrel was about one-third full once the ice had melted and the family's kitten is believed to have fallen in.

"It looks like she was standing on something to reach down for the kitten and slid in herself," Solano told the New Mexican.

The sheriff said no signs of foul play have been found by investigators.

"There's pretty significant evidence for the cat theory," he said. "There's scratches in the barrel and there's scratches on the body."

He said the barrel had been tied to the door to prevent it from tipping over.

"That means once she fell in, she wasn't able to tip it herself," he said to the newspaper.

[pax_et_bonum]

Thanks for pinging me to that.

What a horrible way to go.

[Sherman Logan]

Think short 250 pound woman.

I can absolutely see this happening. Not enough strength in her arms to push herself back out. Possibly she was able to hold her head above water till her arms got too tired.

What an awful way to go.

Or maybe he drowned her.

[sodpoodle]

Puhleeeeeeeeeeeeese

Can’t anyone see that the husband threw both the wife & the cat in the barrel????

Good grief!

To rescue the cat she would have just had to scoop it out with a pot or a towel.

[Daffynition]

A standard 55-gallon plastic rain barrel is 20” X 20” X 35” ... even tied in place, unless one passed out ... I don’t see how an adult could drown...unless they were a midget.

[sodpoodle]

Have we found out how the cat got in the barrel by itself?

Did it fly in on angel wings...or climb up the slippery side of a plastic barrel?

[Daffynition]

All I know is that the next time I’m defrosting a rain barrel in my kitchen, I’ll keep a lid on it and all kittens, women and children kept out of the room. 8(

[Sherman Logan]

Fall in from an adjacent piece of furniture?

I’ve had cats for 50 years, and I don’t doubt their ability to get into the strangest places.

[ApplegateRanch]

Splish splash!

[Slings and Arrows]

Sounds like a really dark Mark Anthony and Pussyfoot cartoon.

[Miss Behave]

I noz the kitteh that can dids this...

moar funny pictures

[Freedom2specul8]

It is odd indeed. Wouldn't it be likely that the cat was floating? And as far as the door being tied to the rain barrel, I would wonder if it was to keep the door open for whatever reason. WEIRD~

[maine-iac7]

tied to a door so it wouldn't tip,

was about one-third full of water

why would one assume a barrel that size would tip?

[Canedawg]

And the moral of the story is...

don’t go into the water if you cant swim.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Well at least she succeeded in saving the kitten.

[Freedom2specul8]

Cats can swim...and some enjoy it. A few just don't like getting wet.

Cat after long day of swimming.....

[Titan Magroyne]

Detectives said it's likely she drowned and the kitten climbed out over her.

"There's pretty significant evidence for the cat theory," he said. "There's scratches in the barrel and there's scratches on the body." Ain't it just LIKE a cat to climb over its rescuer's body?

Bad puddy will getcha every time, it seems.

[claps hand over mouth and shrinks away from impending lightning strike]

[xJones]

"It looks like she was standing on something to reach down for the kitten and slid in herself," Solano told the New Mexican.

It would be helpful to know her blood alcohol level. Falling headfirst into a rain barrel isn't all that common, and tying a rain barrel to an inside house door "to keep it from tipping over" is even less common.

[NRA2BFree]

I don’t buy any of his story. He did not need to tie any barrel to any door. They don’t tip over.

Yes, as a matter of fact they can. They showed the story on the news tonight and the place that makes the barrels said normally an adult can tip one over but they tied it to the door to keep their 3 year old from pulling the barrel over on her.