Dyed ice in frozen creek draws man to water and then he drowned, Missouri police say

A man drowned after he went to a frozen creek in Missouri to see dyed ice, police say.

Leo Satepauhoodle, 33, died after falling through the ice Saturday night on Swan Creek in Forsyth, a small city northeast of Branson, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. A 30-year-old who went onto the ice with him was seriously injured after falling into the creek, police say.

A witness told investigators they learned a section of the ice was colored with dye, possibly food coloring, and they went to see, Sgt. Michael McClure told McClatchy News. After a while, Satepauhoodle and the other man went “skating on the ice” and fell through, he said.

“Something caught their attention, and they were going to take pictures of it,” McClure told the Springfield News-Leader. “They ventured out onto the ice and farther and farther and, finally, they broke through.”

Satepauhoodle was pronounced dead at a hospital in Branson early Sunday morning. The other man was listed in serious condition at a hospital in Springfield on Sunday night, police say.

“It was not determined who dyed the ice, or why the ice was dyed or if the ice was actually dyed,” McClure said.

Both men were Tulsa, Oklahoma, residents.

“Please avoid the temptation and stay off frozen waterways and ponds,” Missouri State Highway Patrol tweeted.

This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Dyed ice in frozen creek draws man to water and then he drowned, Missouri police say."