Electrocution investigated as possible cause of death for women found in Lake Tuscaloosa

By Ben Flanagan

An exact cause of death has yet to be determined for the two women who died in Lake Tuscaloosa last week, but authorities are looking into the possibility the women died by electrocution, according to police.

Shelly Darling, 34, and Elizabeth Whipple, 41 were found dead in Lake Tuscaloosa early Saturday morning after they were reported missing by family members. Autopsies on the two women are being performed on Monday.

Foul play is not suspected, according to Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit Capt. Kip Hart.

Hart said during a press conference Monday morning that while there had been speculation and some information that there may have been electrocution or some type of electricity involved on the boat dock or surrounding water, investigators “are not 100 percent sure” this is what caused the deaths.

He said they will continue researching that theory to determine what exactly happened to Darling and Whipple.

Hart said a Tuscaloosa investigator was shocked during the initial search at the scene on Saturday but was not injured.

“We know there was electricity going through at least part of the pier,” Hart said. “We’re waiting on full report from medical examiner to determine exactly what happened.”

Whipple was the interim director of the domestic violence clinic at the University of Alabama School of Law.

Darling, a native of Vestavia Hills, was a clinic staff attorney at the University of Alabama School of Law.

“It’s a tragic situation because you have two young ladies who were very involved in the community,” Hart said. “Both of these ladies obviously touched a lot of people’s lives. I just feel for both families right now and hopefully we’ll be able to bring them some answers as to why this happened.”

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Deputy jolted by electricity while retrieving women’s bodies from Lake Tuscaloosa

By: STEPHEN CREWS

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Investigators are looking into the possibility that electricity may have played a role in the drowning death of two women last week.

According to Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide, investigators are looking into electric shock drowning as a possible cause of death for the two women, 34-year-old Shelly Darling and 41-year-old Elizabeth Whipple, who went missing after sunbathing Friday afternoon. Their bodies were retrieved from the lake early Saturday morning.

“We’re not 100 percent sure what caused it, but we do know there was electricity going through at least part of the pier, because one of our officers did receive what appeared to be electric shock,” said Lt. Kip Hart with the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit, adding that the officer was O.K. “We’re waiting on the full report from the medical examiner to determine exactly what happened.”

Hart said foul play is not suspected.

Both women worked for the University of Alabama School of Law at the legal clinic.

 

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Electrocution investigated as possible cause of drowning

By Stephanie Taylor Staff Writer

Authorities are investigating the possibility that two women suffered electrical shocks before their bodies were found in Lake Tuscaloosa on Friday.

One of the police officers involved in the search for Shelly Darling and Liz Whipple was shocked by a current on the dock where the women had been sunbathing Friday, said Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit assistant commander Capt. Kip Hart. The officer wasn’t injured, but he may have discovered what caused the women to drown.

“At this time, we still do not have a clear understanding of what happened,” Hart said Monday morning. Investigators were back at the dock Monday to examine whether electricity played a part, he said.

Darling, 34, and Whipple, 41, went to the lake on Friday, he said. Darling’s husband, assistant athletics director for the University of Alabama, contacted police when his wife didn’t return home by dinnertime.

Officers searched overnight and located the women’s bodies during the early morning hours Saturday.

Both women worked for legal clinics at the University of Alabama School of Law. Whipple was interim director for the school’s domestic violence clinic and Darling worked with the elder law clinic.

“These two young ladies were very involved in the community, and obviously touched a lot of people’s lives with their jobs,” Hart said. “I feel for their families right now and hope we’re able to find some answers as to why this happened.”

A Tuscaloosa orthodontist died in August 2015 after he was shocked. Dr. Eric Hughes, 37, had gone swimming in the lake after cutting his grass one afternoon. His friends found him in about four feet of water near his pontoon boat. Investigators believe that he was shocked before he drowned.

The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association discourages swimming around boats, docks and marinas that use AC electrical power for boats, electrical outlets, lighting, boat lifts or other purposes. The organization’s position is that swimming around those areas should be prohibited, with “no swimming” signs posted and facility monitoring.

ESD happens when a typically low-level AC current passes through the body with enough force to cause skeletal and muscular paralysis. Victims are unable to help themselves, and eventually drown.

Electric shock drowning can occur in any location where electricity is provided near water, but the majority of drownings have happened in public and private marinas and docks, according to the ESD Prevention Association. Children are often victims, according to the association.

 

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