MORETOWN — A 34-year-old man drowned Wednesday afternoon while attempting to swim across the Mad River with his young daughter on his back.
Vermont State Police responded to the Big Rock Swimming Hole at approximately 5:25 p.m. for reports of a drowning.
The victim, identified as Anthony Goddard of Barre, began to struggle mid-swim and submerged beneath the water without resurfacing.
Witnesses managed to rescue the child, bringing her safely to shore, but were unable to locate Goddard.
Arriving troopers from the Berlin Barracks entered the water and quickly found Goddard, pulling him to the bank.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts, Goddard was pronounced dead at the scene.
No other injuries were reported from the incident.
Detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations arrived to conduct a thorough death investigation.
Early findings suggest no foul play involved.
Goddard’s remains have been transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to ascertain the exact cause and manner of his death.
