Valley Park woman, 40, drowns in Big River

ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Valley Park, Missouri, woman drowned Sunday in Big River near St. Francois State Park.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s incident report, the drowning took place around 2:15 p.m.

A highway patrol spokesperson said Melissa A. Hill went into the river to help some people in the water whose canoe had overturned.

At some point, Hill became unconscious and was floating face-down in the river. Bystanders pulled Hill from the water and began performing CPR until the first responders arrived.

Hill was pronounced dead just before 3:15 p.m. She was 40.

No other injuries were reported.

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